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TOPIC: CLASSIC DAN’S JOURNAL – Thur. Nov. 20th, 2003, Dan’s 1st blog!!!

So, why don’t I just dive into this. People ask what I’m doing right now. I feel like I’ve been on vacation since I graduated from college last May. Right now I’m in St. Louis, visiting friends from school. I just got back from a 45-day Outward Bound trip in North Carolina, and I’m under 2 weeks away from traveling to South Africa, where I’m going to be volunteering as an assistant instructor for Outward Bound there. So, I’ll admit I’m living a pretty awesome life right now.

I’m also trying to get some writing done. Not just this blog stuff, which I think is awesome, but article too that might get published somewhere. I’m a total idealist, and want more people to see the world as I do, which wouldn’t be an evil thing, as you can see I’m having fun, and doing some pretty productive and helpful things with my life.

What I’d really love to do, long term, is be a leading force in education reform. I hated school, especially college. I mean, the social stuff I loved, but classes and assignments, I felt like I was wasting my life away. But I got out finally, and now I’m doing the things I love, and I sort of have a mission in life to help others to do the things in life they love, which would mean not spending 4 years after high school moaning about the bs that is much of college.

OK, that was my first real go at blogs…kind of strange to think about what stage of your life you’re in when you find something like this, and to realize just how much stuff is out there that this little ol’ internet is going to help bring together. Aight, let’s publish this baby!!!

TOPIC: ONE YEAR COUNTDOWN

It’s almost a year now since my first blog…and while so much has happened, my core vision has not changed. This year has been incredible, fun, stressful, educational, adventurous, and enlightening. I’m just now approaching what I think will be a period of meeting incredible people who are doing incredible things to improve education and our society.

It’s taken me one year, to go from having a vision but confused what to do with it, to having a vision, and knowing where to find others with the same vision as me. This year, I want to mark as the year that my vision gains recognition. The year that I begin to work in close proximity with those who are making my vivsion a reality.

On Nov. 3rd, 2003, I completed my 45-day Outdoor Leader Course through the North Carolina Outward Bound School. Armed with that experience, and the life skills I strengthened on that course, I have been forced to make the transition into the metaphorical Outward Bound course of life. With that “tool box” of life skills that I acquired, such as a new sense of personal strength and endurance, compassion, organization, leadership, thinking outside of the box, seeking answers to life from within, creating my own ”path,” overcoming adversity, simple living, appreciation of every day, appreciation of the environment, ability to live alone for extended periods of time, being physically fit, overcoming fears, taking risks, finding strength in others, budgeting, I have managed to have an amazing year. And in that spirit of reflection, I am looking to push myself even more in the year to come.

I feel rejuvinated, in part do to a spontaneous decision to go wander in Forrest Park here in ST. Louis yesturday. I had forgotten what an amazing place it was, and by moving outside of the physical boundaries I sometimes impose on myself, I found myself also moving outside the mental boundaries that you don’t notice until you’ve stepped beyond them.

What i want to do now, is to make every day count. To live the cliche life where you get the most out of every day, where you live like there’s no tomorrow. I want to push myself to enjoy, to learn, and to grow. I want to see society do the same thing, mirroring the person I am striving towards being.

Today is the 3rd consecutive day I’ve written in my journal, and I plan on writing daily, for better or for worse. Writing daily makes every day gain significance, and will be my tool for focussing on making each day significant. So, today is day #3, and by the time I reach day #365, one year from now, I hope to look back at this blog, and smile, and look forward to day #730, and know that that day is going to be a day closer to me finding exactly how I fit into this whole equation of nothing short of revolutionizing education in order to begin moving our society in a direction that will inspire all.

Maureen Dowd, in the New York Times, wrote this the other day:

“Even as a child, I could feel the rush of J.F.K.’s presidency racing forward, opening up a thrilling world of possibilities and modernity. We were going to the moon. We were confronting racial intolerance. We were paying any price and bearing any burden for freedom. We were respecting faith but keeping it out of politics. Our president was inspiring much of the world. Our first lady was setting the pace in style and culture.

W.’s presidency rushes backward, stifling possibilities, stirring intolerance, confusing church with state, blowing off the world, replacing science with religion, and facts with faith. We’re entering another dark age, more creationist than cutting edge, more premodern than postmodern. Instead of leading America to an exciting new reality, the Bushies cocoon in a scary, paranoid, regressive reality. Their new health care plan will probably be a return to leeches.”

I’ve only lived through the latter, the era of W, the era rushing towards a time I had assumed we were trying to move forward from. I don’t know what a JFK presidency would feel like, what it would be like to live in a world full of hope. But, that’s the world that every American wants, and despite the different needs of people, there is still a common theme of hope and optimism that we want, and it’s the only thing I know how to live for.

Anyways…in Outward Bound tradition:

high of the day: met former Giants punter, Sean Landetta at a sports radio show tonight, and got free food and beer

quote of the day: i actually had a moving chat w/ my freshman roommate, incredibly smart out of a small private high school, with no degree to show after 5 years of college. “Wash U just wasn’t the same close community that I had in high school.” Small classes substituted for large lecture halls. “I didn’t do any research before coming to Wash U.” I think most people don’t.

life update: going to San Fran., spontaneous decision to attend the Coalition of Essential Schools Fall Forum, www.essentialschools.org Will be some amazing speakers and workshops, trying to get re-geard up for more bussing (actually…feeling a bit physically fatigued from crossing the country 1 1/2 times in the last 3 weeks by bus) but should be an incredible experience.

-dan