Hello from my office in Bakeless,
As I said to a couple of people today, it has been a long week today, or perhaps a long month this week (and it is only Tuesday). I know there was a full-moon, a snow moon, over the weekend, but it seems that its shadow is messing with people even yet. You might wonder if I believe in the full-moon affecting people: well, I do. I learned that the summer I worked as a chaplain at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Sioux City, the summer of 1984. Some of the craziest events at the hospital occurred during those lunar moments. And certainly, the moon has been gorgeous the last couple nights as I have been out in the darkness. I remember when I lived in Houghton once walking in the winter snow under a cloudless night with the full-moon beaming down. I think the light was so brilliant it was like looking out at mid-day, and the beauty and glistening on the undisturbed snow was beyond anything imaginable to me. As I remember, I simply sat on a log of a fallen tree, looking out in amazement at all I saw. There was a gentle wind that you could hear in the pines, but as usual, the waters of Lake Superior moderated the temperature. So, while chilly, it was a manageable cold in the midst of winter. What an unexpected gift, what a needed gift at the moment.
I had come back to Houghton after being away for a couple of years. I have moved to Oakland County downstate to attempt to repair a marriage; I had given up a full-fellowship for my doctoral degree, not wanting to fail a second time at being married, but that still happened, and I found myself working for Gateway Computers at a Country Store in San Antonio, Texas. Through some conversations, and the willingness of a Graduate Studies director and another professor, within a 96 hour period, I left a job, packed a car, drove 1,600 miles, and re-enrolled back into the Rhetoric and Technical Communication program at Michigan Technological University. A phone conversation on a Thursday had me back in Houghton on late Sunday afternoon: another unexpected gift at an unexpected time. To this day, there is not enough gratitude I could ever express to Drs. Victoria Bergvall and Dale Sullivan for supporting my return to my studies. Within a couple days, I would find a small furnished cabin to sublet on the Portage, return to wait tables at a newly opening restaurant, and be back in my studies. That fall would create even more possibilities, ones I am still realizing 23 years later.
That fall would give me a different perspective on what I was doing as a doctoral student moving me from a more composition-focused assistantship to one which was more focused on technical writing. That all would re-introduce me to people who had helped me before, but to a completely different group of people also, reminding me of how much I really did love learning and working with food and beverage. And that work was to the consternation of my comprehensive exam chair who once questioned if my degree was in Rhetoric and Technical Communication or Restaurant Management. It was a difficult day, but it was an important one. I learned much more about the academy after I returned. I was able to focus my energies in ways that had not occurred my first foray into my doctoral work. It was during that first winter that the sitting in the brilliance of the full-moon occurred. Often, I have been asked, what is the most beautiful place I have been? – and more often than not, I think the Keweenaw Peninsula might still be that place. When I first came to Hancock late summer of 1992, that was not what I thought. I found it quaint perhaps, and I did find the Portage and Lake Superior quite beautiful, but I had little understanding of how pristine, how rustic, and how both formidable and inviting the U.P. could be. I remember my first drive to Copper Harbor in the snow, in my 1987 Toyota 4-Runner. That was a good vehicle to have. When I looked out from the shore of the Harbor Haus at Superior, the winter ice, the snow, and the sun were postcard perfect. Where had I come? It was again almost a decade later I would return, and in those next few years, I experienced the beauty of being in the Keweenaw in ways I could not imagine. Boat rides in the Portage and beyond the Walls out into the big lake, sailing into the evening and back down the Portage, sitting around a fire or waiting tables in Eagle River, the beauty of this home to many of the Finnish people in the country was (and is) something to behold.
There were so many unexpected moments there, but what perhaps amazes me to this day is how this somewhat minimally inhabited, somewhat out-of-bounds or verboten wilderness of the second part of Michigan can call one back again and again. This time last year, I drove with my colleague, and friend’s son, to help him check out Michigan Tech. We stayed at the Air BnB of a friend, who also lives on the Portage, and Max was convinced this is where he wanted to pursue his college degree. He has told me more than once how happy he is he made that choice. And I am happy for him, but it does not hurt me that I have yet another reason to return to that northern Paradise – another unexpected gift that occurred almost 30 years after I first went there. While MTU itself is the deciding factor, being able to show him around, drive him to experience things he might not have, and to introduce him to people I still have relationships with, did not hurt his decision-making process. As he has finished a first semester, begun a second, and obtained an internship, we are both realizing that my introduction to his parents 20 years ago had a consequence that would continue to bring unexpected possibilities. There is a thread to our lives that we often overlook or fail to cultivate. One of the things I am often told is that I maintain connections. I have written about this in other posts, but there is a reason I do so. It has to do with my own sense of place and belonging. What gives me a sense of place is not as much about a location, but understanding the thread, the connection, the significance of what that relationship has been. Too often we move beyond with little sense of reflection, losing out on the possibility of what we might be able to accomplish.
As I move into my last weeks of working full-time in the manner that has occupied half my life, I am not always sure where things are headed. There are moments that can be frightening. There are moments that can see like everything is a blank slate, with limitless possibilities, opportunities, or chances. And yet is the idea of chances that are sometimes most unexpected. When I consider the path of my life, most of it has been unexpected, and yet, as I have noted before, I am not sure I had expectations. My early life taught be to question everything, to believe little or nothing, and to hold on to everything I possibly could. Being told I did not belong; being told I had little value; and being told there was little chance I would amount to much did not bode well for a future. However, do not feel badly for me . . . it taught me resilience and pushed me to believe there was always a path forward. As I move toward the next step of my life, there are still more options, more unexpected gifts. Tomorrow I will meet a person who has found their way in and out of my life for over two decades. Through periodic interaction since I left Houghton some twenty years ago, the connection between two people has maintained. And yet, seldom did we know what to think of that connection. Time, events, and other circumstances often dictate what is possible. I think about that with the person I refer to as my sandbox buddy. When I traveled on a Lutheran Youth Encounter Team for a year, my first host family, with whom I still communicate, began elder siblings to me. Judy, who has always watched out for me in some manner, once told me, “Timing might be as important as anything when it comes to a relationship.” It seems her words ring true even now 45 years later.
One of my favorite movies, both in terms of what it says as well as it has Sean Connery as a principle actor is the coming-of-age movie titled, Finding Forrester. It is probably 25 years old, but it is a movie about a young black student, who is a brilliant student as well as a good athlete (basketball player). He is stereotyped by one of his preparatory professors and accused of plagiarism, so certainly the writing aspect of the movie does not go unnoticed. This particular title comes from that movie, but that is all that is I will say. You might want to watch the movie. It is a movie I often used in my summer ACT 101 classes because so many students doubted their adequacy for being in college. The imposter syndrome was alive and well. So much of our lives are unexpected, and I do not believe that will change in our crazy unpredictable world. And yet that which is unexpected is no reason to fear what might happen. This little Riversider, adopted child, smaller-than-most, struggling-to-understand adolescent never imagined he would enlist in the Marine Corps; he never anticipated going to college, let alone getting a doctoral degree. He could not have imagined himself as a parish pastor, as someone who has been blessed to travel the world. He never imagined becoming a foodie, an oenophile, and quite honestly, he had little idea of much of anything. I am not sure if that made me different than my friends or classmates when I grew up. What I know now is life has been a blessing. Experiences, both planned and unplanned have provided incredible opportunities to grow and meet others. Some of the most unexpected gifts and the most unexpected time have made me who I am. To all who have been there to support and gift me, there will never be enough thank yous. The clip below is from the movie aforementioned and shows more significantly than perhaps any part of the movie how the unexpected gift of friendship touched even a curmudgeonly old man. The idea of integrity, the reality of stereotyping, and the ability to find the unexpected are all reasons I find hope. I see this in my students sometimes when they do not see it in themselves. I push because I want them to achieve, and I believe they can. Often, it is not understood; more often it is not necessarily appreciated, but I believe in the resiliency of the individual because I know it. I know how it helped me achieve the unexpected, and yes, what a gift!
Thank you as always for reading.
Dr. Martin
thewritingprofessor55 
Dr. Martin,
Thank you for this post, it incorporated a lot of ideas I like to think about. I am someone who struggles with imposter syndrome in almost everything I do. This can be a struggle, because I am also a bit of a perfectionist, so I feel like I am always striving to be the best I can, without ever feeling like I have accomplished my goals. I like that you brought up reflection. I find this to be something very important in my life, and I spend a lot of time reflecting on my past. I reflect on my past actions, and how I can do things differently. I reflect on my past relationships with my therapist, working to find out why they were the way they were. I reflect on my past failures and successes and aim to replicate or avoid them in the future. When I reflect, it gives me the opportunity to see how I have grown and changed, and how I can continue to grow and change in the future. Time is truly a gift, and having the chance to reflect on my past is something I am very grateful for. I think anyone who reads this post will be encouraged to reflect on their past, and be grateful for the gift of time they have been given.
Dr. Martin,
I appreciate your perspective here specifically looking at moments in time that have shaped your outlook on the world and your place in the grand scheme of things. I am no stranger to challenges as I feel to have always been handing a losing set of cards in the game that is life. There have been some lower-than-low points in my life, and although I am aware I still have a long way to go, finding the beauty in those moments has become more important than ever.
I have had very personal familial struggles that I do not necessarily wish to share on a public forum, but even in those moments, I have tried to find the beauty behind them. One of my go-to outlooks on adverse experiences is “This story will make a killer essay someday”. This silly phrase has given me the strength to move forward in some of my worst times. Looking back at everything I have been through, I never thought I would make it to college, let alone make it to adulthood. Here I am proving myself and the world around me wrong.
Changes and struggles are meant to be learning experiences. If you live life without challenges, you never truly live life, you float by in a daze of comfort and conformity. You said in your post that “it was a difficult day, but it was an important one”. That phrase will stick with me from here on out. Some of the most difficult days are the ones that are the turning points in life and set someone on their extremely temporary path until they are faced with a new and unique experience.
Dr. Martin, This blog truly spoke to me. When I was in high school I had no plans for my future. All of my friends would be talking about their plans on what they want to major in for college. Also, what they want to be in the future. Meanwhile, I was trying to finish high school. Like you said in this blog, there were times that life was like a blank slate and there were so many opportunities. I knew I wanted to goto college but had no ideas what for.
Everything ended up working in my life. I would have never thought I would be majoring in American Sign Language/ English interpreting. It surprised me! Looking back, I would had never thought of this as being an option. Now, this is my plan, my future, and my career. I cannot wait to see what other amazing adventures my life brings in the future.
This blog was rather sweet! The scene you described seems so peaceful, I can only imagine it as a vintage-style painting with a pretty wooden frame that makes you feel a sense of nostalgia for a place you have never been. I have a few memories like that, primarily from my visit to Berlin, Germany. I would go to the parks with my siblings and swing for hours.
The feeling reminds me of a word I stumbled upon a few years ago, “ataraxia”, which when translated from Greek means a serene sense of calmness or tranquility. I find certain songs or sometimes foods will bring up this feeling as well.
Recently, there has been so much focus on the negative. My home life has been a whirlwind and everything is rapidly changing. As an RA, I have been handling an increasing number of issues, and academically I feel completed overwhelmed and burnt out. This blog post in particular has a pleasant focus on the gifts we receive through life and it was like a breath of fresh air. I believe the warming weather has also lightened my mood, and I am focusing more on positive things – where I can find them. I am looking forward to the warmer weather being around for more than a few days and while it is still a ways away, I am practically bouncing on my feet to go back home for the summer and see my dad’s new house. Over quarantine my family became very involved in gardening and at my dad’s new house there is a huge garden. I am hoping to hold onto this feeling to get me through the rest of the semester.
Dr. Martin
This blog post has to be my favorite so far I think it was very interesting. I like when you talked about keeping connections because I agree. Having connections and keeping them is a great way to get through life, I always got annoyed at the number of people my dad knew and this would always bother me because we would go out and he would know a million people but now as I have gotten older I see how much of an advantage that is in this world. Knowing more people gets more doors open for you and can change your life in ways you can’t even imagine. Also looking back on those moments I now see my dad in a new light, I used to see him as annoying now I envy him and want to be like him one day. These memories as you said are meaningful even if we do not see it at the time every interaction we have in every conversation is meaningful in some way, everything happens for a reason. We might not know the reason now but eventually, we will and we look back on these moments in time when we didn’t get it and suddenly everything clicks. Thank you once again for making me think back to a time in my life when I felt this way and seeing how meaningful time is.
Dr. Martin,
Your background is truly captivating to explore. In recent exchanges, I’ve been struck by the amount of places you’ve traversed, the diverse experiences you’ve embraced, and the myriad pursuits you’ve undertaken. Your journey through life has been nothing short of remarkable. Did you always harbor a singular passion or were you driven by a thirst to explore the world and its myriad offerings?
It’s fascinating to delve into the depth of your experiences across various locales. Personally, I’ve always harbored a longing for adventure and exploration. However, my aspirations seem somewhat different from yours. During my formative years, I harbored a keen desire to venture beyond the borders of the United States. Regrettably, due to my parents’ commitments to caring for my siblings and me, due to being deeply entrenched in multiple sports activities, those dreams remained just that – dreams. Yet, as we matured into our late teens and early twenties, my siblings and I seized the opportunity to embark on a memorable family excursion to Punta Cana. It was a delightful escapade filled with relaxation and enjoyment, punctuated by the splendor of the sights.
Since then, my appetite for exploration has only intensified, with Greece looming on the horizon as my next destination. While my upcoming and past journeys hold promise and excitement, I can’t help but acknowledge the profound significance embedded within each of your excursions, as evidenced by your extensive travel narratives. All of your fascinating escapades, make me think you would be considered an explorer. Would you identify as such, or perhaps you see yourself as a traveler, explorer, or researcher?
-Lauren Hughes
Dr. Martin,
As always, I love reading your words. It is particularly inspiring to hear about your life and the things you overcame. This really resonates with me as I am currently in a spot of uncertainty with my life and the near future. It’s comforting to see how I am not alone in feeling this way, and how despite the challenges and changes that life throws our way, with a little resilience, everything turns out okay. I know I needed this reminder, and I imagine others reading this may feel the same, so thank you.
You have a way of imparting so much wisdom all while telling such peaceful or funny stories about you life. I hope someday, I can master this skill myself. As someone with so much wanderlust, I enjoy reading about the places you’ve travelled to and the adventures you’ve had. I don’t know if this is something that you believe of yourself, but some my perspective, you are truly someone who has LIVED, not just been alive. I hope to emulate this as well. Thank you for being an inspiration and reminder to do so.
Kalie Peterson
Dr. Martin,
Your blogs are always so interesting to me. The many career paths you have chosen and are successful in is inspiring. It makes me realize I am not confined to a box of a career. I can try other things if something doesn’t work out. It may feel like the end of the world but it’s not. I frequently overthink everything related to my career path and I also fall victim to imposter syndrome. I do not feel I belong in the field that I am trying to be in. I overthink everything regardless but it does not help when a lot of factors are working against me. I am growing tired of being constantly worked against but I must power through. This blog post reminds me that I make my path. I have control over it and I can do whatever I want to do. I can do what suits me.
Dr. Martin
The way that you went from place to place resonates with me. Growing up I felt like an outcast. I was enthralled with gaming from a young age and even still, but I had a small group of friends that I shared this with. When I made it to middle school, this made me an “easy target” so to speak. One day, a boy I grew up with who was a bit older and I looked up to said to me that I should join the football team. I thought that was a terrible idea, I was not in shape at all, I had asthma, and I was not passionate about sports. Regardless, I went to intramurals and got absolutely demolished. I hated every part of it but, my mother refused to let me quit something I started. I ended up playing for the rest of middle school into high school for a team that did not win 10 games within that span. I hated the sport, but this it got me out of my shell and I made a few friends and acquaintances in that time. While never would have stayed, in the end I would have to say that I would not have made it through high school without it. The same is true with my college experience. I took two years at another school in the hopes of becoming a teacher. Now I am here at Bloomsburg, aspiring to become an interpreter. Here’s hoping this is a successful venture and I am not buried beneath all my student loan debt.
Jake Hodder
Dr. Martin,
As college students I think we tend to forget to focus on the bigger picture. We tend to live in the moment which isn’t a bad thing, but it isn’t great either. This blog post was a reminder to focus on the little things, and look back to see if we can find these unxepected gifts.
One of my unexpected gifts is all of the people I have came know over the past two years at school. I have been able to connect with so many different people from so many different areas and walks of life. I have been able to learn about different culutres and regions, as well as be able to share my background with others. This has taught me to listen to others and not judge a person just based off of looks or basic information.
I also believe in the effects of a full-moon and I often think about why and how it can affect people’s behaviors. I used to work in retail and I currently work at a nursing home, and every time there is a full-moon people are unusually weird or rude and something strange or out of the ordinary happens. It could just be coincidence, but I believe in the paranormal and that there are many strange things that humans don’t understand but there is a reason why they happen. I believe in fate and that everything happens for a reason, even if it seems bad. I try to see the best in my life experiences and even if something seems terrible or tragic in the moment, I try to think about how I will learn from it and what I could do differently in the future and how I will grow as a person afterwards.
Growing up and aging is one of my greatest fears due to the amount of unexpected things that could happen and trying to figure out how I will manage my own life as well as my family’s lives. I am still young and have a lot to live for but these thoughts constantly run through my mind. My late grandfather, who was “adopted” into our family, was African American and he was extremely wise, intelligent and inciteful. His favorite quote was “live one day at a time” and I have taken that and made it my life moto. Whenever I am anxious about the future, I tell myself to “live one day at a time” and to focus on the here and now.
I have never watched the movie, Finding Forrester, but from reading your summary and after watching the clip, it looks very interesting and I will definitely be putting it on my watch list. I enjoyed the brief movie reflection at the end as well and how it can relate to your students, which I believe is true.
Hi Martin,
After reading your blog, I was thinking on how I felt the same way about what I wanted to do with my life. I remember being in high school and having no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I would constantly change my plans whenever someone asked me. I was scared that I would pick something I did not like. I even thought about just going to work right after college but my parents were not happy about that plan. I ended up going to college and started to see what I liked. I liked when you said, “Everything is a blank slate, with limitless possibilities, opportunities, or chances”. This quote spoke to me because it made me realize that was college for me. Everyone is so stressed to know what they need to do but does not realize we do not always need to know what we should do. We should enjoy life and figure out what we like because once you figure it out, it makes it easier to enjoy life. Thank you for sharing and getting me to think.
Vanessa Valenti
Dr. Martin,
As always, I enjoy your honesty, transparency, and stories told within your blog posts. It is ironic you mentioned your past experiences with full moons and your belief that they can “stir the pot” so to say. The last full moon, on March 25, I had clinical. I am currently in maternity clinical and the unit was filled with the most laboring patients that the hospital has had at once in a while. The nurses on the unit were telling all of us students that it was because it was a full moon that day, which is rumored to cause havoc in the medical profession as you mentioned, specifically in this case sending increasing amounts of women into labor.
Moreover, I admire your continuous recollection of events throughout your life, and how you take every experience and analyze it in an attempt to learn and grow as an individual. I always attempt to have that mindset because I know that every event, good or bad, is an essential learning opportunity. Additionally, I like your analogy of “unexpected gifts,” which puts a sweet appreciation on the moments that may turn out to be pivotable in your life.
Finally, I always enjoy reading your blog posts. Each post always provides my brain with food for thought, often leaving me pondering something, relating to you, or inspiring me in some way, shape, or form. Your words are wise and I am grateful to be able to learn from your stories and experiences.
Savannah Bortner
Hello!
I too believe in the impacts that moon changes, astrology, and astronomy has on individuals. I know this post was from over a month ago, but I still feel as though there is something in the air making us feel odd, more tired, and ready to be done with this semester. I still feel some of the after effects of the changes within the solar system and about 10 days ago from today, there was a solar equinox which also caused some mood shifts and just overall some odd feelings. I feel as though the purpose of the article is to discuss how sometimes things happen when you least expect it and to take every opportunity that is sent your way. The intended audience for this blog post I would say that it could be argued that it is aimed towards college students. The post is giving some advice to students about reasons for certain things happening and to take it one day at a time. I like the point that you made about timing and how no matter the relationship time doesn’t matter either. I feel as though that is something that is taken for granted in some places. I have never watched that movie, but it sounds like it would be good. I may have to check it out. Thank you for sharing!
Dr. Martin,
This helped me notice my gift for ASL. When I was in high school, I was fluent in French, but I had a feeling to drop it my Freshman year due to my struggling in congegating verbs. I listened to myself without knowing why I should but I had a good intuition feeling.
I ended up taking ASL during sophomore year and it clicked with me instantly. It was such an unexpected thing which turned into an unexpected gift. I was so lucky that I listened to myself and was able to take ASL because now I want to be an interpreter and continue it into a career and do it for life.
_ Anna Tekeyan
Dr.Martin,
He talks about the full moon had how he experienced the beauty of it when he worked as a chaplain in a hospital. He then moved again to fix a marriage that still didn’t end happily. He started working for a computer company called Gateway Computer. He left almost immediately and went back to school. He discusses how he is grateful to two people, Drs. Victoria Bergvall and Dale Sullivan helped him along the way. He was exploring what is called the Keweenaw Peninsula when he experienced the beauty of a full moon for the first time. It has brought him chances that he has appreciated and received. He can’t wait to see what comes next and is happy with what he has already gotten so far. He loves being with people who have made it a point to be in his life and can’t wait to spend more time with them. He then talks about how life is awesome and that the moon reminds him of all the opportunities of beauty he has gotten so far. He believes that anything is possible if we put the effort in.
I believe that the purpose is to get people to stop just pushing forward and just take in the beauty that is around us. Life gives us these moments of opportunity that are beautiful and we never take time to appreciate them. He is trying to get to realize that these opportunities are beautiful moments that can’t just be taken for granted.
I think that this is addressed to anyone who seems to always keep moving on without ever taking a break to just realize how lucky they are to get these opportunities given by life. They are always about what is coming next or the deadline without stopping a minute to think and appreciate everything up to that point.
I, myself, unfortunately, I’m one of those people who don’t take the time to see how lucky I am and I’m trying to work on that. I felt that this spoke to me because it just made me stop and think about all the beautiful opportunities I’ve gotten up to this point and how I haven’t appreciated them. These opportunities thinking back on them are my most valued memories and how they have stuck with me like getting spend multiple opportunities going to the theatre with my parents getting my love of theatre started and having opportunities to travel to places as a child that I would have never seen otherwise like Amish country, Which opened my eyes to new ways of living outside of my own making me into the person I am today, or later in my teenage year Florida getting to experience a warm Christmas for the first ever (Which was the most mind-blowing thing for me being in shorts in late November). Reading this makes me think of how beautiful these opportunities that life provided so far and can’t wait to see what other ones life has to offer me in the future.
Good Afternoon Dr. Martin,
This post of yours resonated with me greatly. Imposter syndrome and perfectionism are things I struggle with a lot, especially as a student. That I am constantly working and working on assignments and checking them over and over to make it perfect. Then I read over it so much in attempt to make it perfect, I end up missing mistakes I made anyway.
It is inspiring to hear about your experiences, that not everything went to plan, but you still took that chance to head back to academia and graduate school. Sharing your experiences on such a public platform isn’t always easy to do so I admire you posting this here.
Good evening from my boyfriend’s house. It has been an incredibly busy day, so it makes me happy to be able to sit down, read a blog post, and get some thoughts out of my head. I have been anticipating this all day, so I am very excited to write a comment.
The thing I am choosing to focus on is how you talked about how your younger self envisioned you and it is nothing like who you are today. I can relate to that very heavily. When I was younger, I wanted to be a marine biologist. I remember I really wanted to study turtles or sharks. I know someone who studies sharks for a living and gets to travel the world for her job and I thought that would always be cool. Plus, I would always get to go in the ocean, which I also very much enjoy. I realized in middle school that nursing would be a good profession, but was still stuck on marine biology til about ninth grade. After that year, I realized that a big part of marine biology is also studying patterns and doing work in an office and lab. I realized that did not seem like too much fun, so that is when I started thinking about nursing again.
After I decided to stick with nursing, I wanted to elevate my education and career by taking it a step further and join the military. At first, I was looking into doing the Navy because my grandfather, who I was really close with, was in the Navy so I wanted to go into the Navy to honor him. That did not happen and I ended up joining Army ROTC instead. I saw that Bloomsburg University offered an Army ROTC program and decided that that would be a better path for me, plus I get to go into the Army just like my dad which made him very happy.
It is crazy how when we are young, we have an idea of who we want to be and what we want to be when we are older and most of the time people end up doing something that is nowhere near close to what they wanted to be when they were a kid. Growing up, maturing, and learning about the world really changes your perspective and ideas on yourself and the world around you.
This heartfelt blog post seems to be directed towards anyone who may be feeling overwhelmed or uncertain about the unexpected turns in their life. You share personal anecdotes and reflections, weaving together experiences that span decades, all tied to the theme of unexpected gifts and the resilience needed to navigate life’s twists and turns.
The tone is reflective and appreciative, almost as if you are addressing a friend or confidant, someone who understands the complexities of life’s journey. By recounting moments of struggle and triumph, such as leaving a job to return to doctoral studies or finding solace in the beauty of nature, you invite readers to reflect on their own experiences of unexpected challenges and blessings.
Throughout the post, there’s a sense of gratitude towards those who have supported you along the way, whether it’s mentors who provided guidance during academic pursuits or friends who offered companionship during difficult times. This gratitude underscores the importance of human connection and the impact it can have on one’s life journey.
The reference to the movie “Finding Forrester” adds depth to your message, emphasizing themes of integrity, overcoming stereotypes, and the power of friendship. By sharing this recommendation, you extend an invitation for readers to explore similar themes in their own lives and perhaps find inspiration in unexpected places.
Ultimately, your message of this blog post seems to convey a sense of hope and encouragement, acknowledging the uncertainty of life while also celebrating the resilience and potential for growth that comes with facing the unexpected. It’s a reminder to embrace life’s surprises, both good and bad, and to recognize the value of every experience along the way.
Dr. Martin,
Sitting down and reading your blog has become one of the more relaxing parts of my evenings. While reading through this blog it made me think of the relationships in my life, and the connections I have retained. It also made me think about how different people are motivated, which may not have been the goal of the blog.
In regards to relationships and connections, building and keeping them has become something of value to me. It is nice to be able to meet new people and form an open line of communication with them. At this point in my life I have focused on trying to build relationships with people I look up to. Being able to have mentors that I can seek guidance and wisdom from is an amazing thing. I would not be where I am in life if it were not for those people, that I can proudly call my mentors. However mentorships are not the only thing of value. I have also built friendships with people, whom despite not keeping in constant contact, we still keep. in touch.
The other though that I had while reading your blog is the different ways people respond to different forms of reinforcement. What I mean by this is that while everyone always wants to support positive reinforcement, it is not the best for everyone. Sometimes there is a need for a balance. Growing up there were occasions where I made some of my greatest achievements were done so because someone inspired me to prove them wrong.
As always thank you for your time and sharing your thoughts through your writing. I enjoyed reading, pondering, and responding.
-Tenneson Scott
Hello Dr. Martin,
As I sat down to read this post, one thought hit me as I read about your love of the moon. Near Mansfield University, there is a wonderful state park called Cherry Springs. You may or may not have heard of the park before, but is renown for being the darkest place to watch observe the stars at night. I have only been there a few times, but each time the gorgeous view took my breath away. Seeing the millions of stars that you’re just unable to see from a backyard is just breathtaking. I’ve always wanted to visit the campgrounds one day before my time is up at Mansfield to spend a night under the gorgeous night sky there.
Apart from that small tangent, your post was quite thought provoking. With the anecdotes of your life that got you to very unexpected places, I think the theme of capitalizing on opportunities rings through this blog post. Opportunities are received with luck, but the ability to utilize those opportunities can only be seized through skill. I think you have shown your gratefulness to this luck as well displayed how you took these opportunities and made the most out of them. This small look into your collegiate career is inspiring.
I hope throughout your retirement, if you have not already, you can go and visit Cherry Ridge State Park. It is a beautiful place that I think someone like you would appreciate. The night sky is beautiful, and it is even more beautiful without the light pollution of our modernized world.
Thank you, as always,
Bryce Klinger