A Culture of Celebration

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To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day.  Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. Number three is you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy.   But think about it. If you laugh, you think and you cry, that’s a full day. That’s a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you’re going to have something special.
                                                                           - Jimmy Valvano, March 4, 1993

The passion and vivacity of Jimmy Valvano's words as he accepted the first Arthur Ashe Courage and Humanitarian Award on March 4, 1993 are a call to live and love fully with each breath even against the worst of odds and the darkest of possibilities.  Perhaps the greatest speech in sports history, his message of laughter, thought, and tears is so much more than a sports speech.  It is a message of living intentionally, of fostering love and compassion, of embracing our dreams in all their risks and rewards.  One way to live out Mr. Valvano's call is to celebrate the sublime awesomeness of every moment and every person.

Now, every is an awfully big word. Every moment. Every person. It might not be possible to celebrate every, but it might be possible to celebrate more often. And with enough more often, we cultivate an attitude of contagious celebration.  This attitude of contagious celebration helps create an internal landscape of humility, gratitude and courage.

So, to celebrate!

I work with many great teachers; my principal recently called these teachers, "beyond talented."  One of theses teachers, Mrs. Maria Prust, recently provided a "Valvano moment" for everyone in our classroom.  We laughed, we thought and we cried.

After reading Tim O'Brien's eponymous short story from  "The Things They Carried" our students wrote about the things they carry.  If you watch the video, Mrs. Prust summarizes the student work beautifully. Inspired by the courage and honesty of our students, Mrs. Prust wrote a reflection of her own in response to the students'.


It took a lot of courage for Mrs. Prust to share in this manner.  She became vulnerable in her open honesty.  I can't think of a better way to model Mr. Valvano's charge. 

Mrs. Prust made me think about the unseen stories our students carry and the courage it takes to carry them.  She made me think about being more courageous in my own life. She made me think about my craft and about being responsive to student need rather than teacher agenda.

Mrs. Prust moved me to tears with the compassion she demonstrated and the earnestness of her love for her students.  I was moved by the realization that she loves any student that walks through her door or in the halls of her school.  She was speaking to the ones seated around her.

Mrs. Prust made me laugh. Not as much in this video, although there is the laughter to release emotional tension when she finishes, but more so before and after the video: in encouraging her to share, in reflecting on the sharing, in the smiles we all had when she finished.  In the lightness it sometimes takes to get ready for and recover from what's really heavy.

I celebrate this reminder to laugh, think and cry. I celebrate putting down the unnecessary burdens I insist on carrying as habit or psychological inertia.  I celebrate filling those areas of life with laughter, thought and tears.

I celebrate Mrs. Prust, who shares with her students so much hope, faith and love.  And I celebrate the possibilities she created for others when she gathered her courage and shared the stories that matter most.  Well done, Maria. And thank you.

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