THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 9, 1996 TAG: 9606070223
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 38 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
SOURCE: Ronald L. Speer
LENGTH: 66 lines
Advice is probably the last thing wanted by the Class of '96, but here's one final suggestion as you head out into the world:
Learn to do something with your hands.
That's not a new idea, of course. I preach this sermon every year.
But in the computer age it may be more important than ever that every young woman and young man find something they can do or make with their hands.
With electronic brains doing our thinking and shackling us to effete chores, it's vital to our mental health that we do something with our hands that is more satisfying than playing a keyboard.
To me, the perfect challenge is one that also puts food on the table.
Nothing (except maybe messing around with boats) is as satisfying as growing things, and nothing tastes better than things you have grown.
My first action every morning is a stroll around the yard to see how the flowers and the fruits that I planted are doing.
The hydrangea and the hibiscus are blooming, and so are the lilies and the geraniums and the impatiens and the mandevilla and the bougainvillea and lots of other things. My tomatoes and blackberries are forming, and the blueberries are almost ripe.
Their growth makes life seem good. No matter what lies ahead at the office, I know all is well in my gardens.
That same confidence is created by the smell of freshly baked bread, and the taste of homemade cinnamon rolls, and the crunchiness of still-hot cookies.
And like many handmade creations, vegetables and flowers and baked goods make marvelous gifts that warm the heart of the giver as well as the givee.
But there are hundreds of other things that you can do with your hands that I guarantee will enrich your soul and make your world a better place.
Try your hand at painting. Or playing the piano. Or if you're not up to the demands of those crafts, try pottery, a forgiving art where an unplanned bulge can be considered a mark of individuality.
But don't limit your hands to artsy-craftsy challenges. If you're mechanically inclined, learn how to repair small motors. You'll feel great and be the hero of the neighborhood if you can fix a balky outboard or lawn mower.
Carpentry is another way to use your hands to enlarge your life. I never walk past our long, beautifully designed bookcase without thinking that I'm a wonderful guy. I feel the same way when neighbor kids ask for second helping of my homemade ice cream.
Never mind that the bookcase leans a little to the left, or the ice cream is grainy. I'm proud of them.
And if you like the outdoors, buy a fly rod and become a fly-caster. In fishing, nothing - except maybe hooking a big billfish - matches the excitement of a perfectly cast fly that prompts a small fish to noisily pounce and then fight for its life.
Learning celestial navigation was one of the most difficult challenges of my later life, because it took me weeks to master the mathematics and the sextant. But rarely have I been so pleased with myself as when we sailed a small boat to Bermuda using my sun sights, and made our landfall just about where my navigation predicted.
None of those things may turn you on - but there are hundreds of other ways to use your hands that will make life better.
Knitting and tatting, whittling and sculpting, drawing and designing. There is something for everyone.
A bonus of doing something with your hands is that you can work alone as well as in a crowd. Solitude can be a marvelous medicine.
And so I say to you, members of the Class of '96: Educate your hands, as well as your mind, to enjoy life to its fullest in the 21st Century. by CNB