The Tables Have Turned
On the bedstand: Just finished Breakfast with Buddha by Roland Merullo. Mom sent it to me. A comfortable read that packed a surprising punch.Coming through the speakers: Back on another Andrew Bird kick. The guy is a musical genius.
I looked across the table. Four applicants to the CBYX program, a year-long fellowship in Germany, eagerly, nervously looked back at us. I smiled, thinking back to my own application to the program over ten years ago. The tables had turned and it was my turn to ask the questions. I was volunteering as a member of the selection committee.The program sends 75 young Americans to Germany as part of a year-long work/study stipend. Candidates aren't chosen on intelligence or accomplishments, though that certainly plays a role. Instead, we were looking for the strongest cultural representatives of the United States.I prodded at their background. Would these kids thrive in a foreign and, at times, hostile environment? My questions led into the opportunity for them to provide concrete details and examples. Unfortunately, none came. Interview tip (and I'm emphasizing this for my own good): Always provide examples!The interviews wrapped up, each ending with the interviewee giving some rendition of their "capre diem" mentality. I wanted to look into their naive eyes and say "you can't even imagine the possibility that lies in front of you." Surely, they would have answered, "No, we do! And we're determined to make the most of it!" just as I would have at their age. And they would have been wrong, just as I was. At no fault to them though. None of us could possibly grasp the potential around, within, and before us. What could have been and what still could be...I left the interviews surprisingly inspired. Those kids were so focused on a goal. So determined. That feeling had once burned brightly wihtin me, but had somewhat dimmed with age. It's time to get that feeling back; find a goal and attack it with full devotion.
As we parted, the Cultural Vistas representative handed me her card. I looked down at it. The logo. The organization's name. I had helped create that(!). I left the the organization before seeing the new brand fully set into practice. Here it was though, for the first time. Real. Tangible. Again, inspiration struck. This time from my former colleagues and the work they continue to do. We were all so passionate. Hard-working. Passionate. Passionate.