Encouragement

Encouragement is something we all need. Not unnecessary, but real and thoughtful encouragement.

I experienced that today in talking with some former students who asked the question, "have I changed in four years?" 

"Oh yes," I said. "You have," and then I gushed for some time about their academic, spiritual, and cognitive development. 

Without going into specifics (to protect their identities) I have to say it is a special privilege to see four years of growth and to share with them my findings. And then they looked at each other and pointed out more strengths.

Sharing kind words is important. 

It's easy to keep our encouragements hidden, to tell these words to someone else, to write them in a letter of recommendation, or to toast them at someone's wedding. 

What would happen if we let others know their strengths along the road and not at some expected benchmark?

From my experience, there is only good that can come from it. People work more diligently. They know they've been noticed. They are careful not to lose that strength and take more ownership of it.

So encourage others. Prove what you say using examples. Before you know it, there will be a ripple effect. 

Had to be There

Yesterday my roommates and I went shopping and ate out at Olive Garden. After a thirty minute wait as per usual in Merrillville, our buzzer flashed and we were seated at a booth right by the kitchen. 

Our waitor came and asked if we wanted salad and bread sticks. Of course, we said. So he came back later with my roommates' soups and the salad and asked how much cheese we wanted while he shredded it over the salad. 

It's a typical experience at Olive Garten. But because it's me and my roommates, no common experience can remain. 

Waitor shreds cheese: I just think of A Goofy Movie when Max's friend says, "it's a leanin' tower of cheeseeh," which earlier had elicited a few rounds of laughter between Alison and me. 

Result: weird smiling at the waitor.

Shelley and Alison eat soup: it has dumplings in it. Earlier we had talked about shortening words like appetizers to 'apps' and deserts to 'zerts' like they do on Parks and Rec (a lot of my inspiration comes from TV/Movies, obviously). Shelley says to Alison, "How do you like your dumps?" 

Result: chaotic bursts of laughter and puns and more smiling at the waitor

And maybe this isn't all laugh-out-loud funny for other people, but I'm going say one of the most important lessons our generation needs to learn: you had to be there.