Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in you shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go. You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care. About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there." With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street. And you may not find any you'll want to go down. In that case, of course, you'll head straight out of town. Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as you. OH! THE PLACES YOU'LL GO! You'll be on your way up! You'll be seeing great sights! You'll join the high fliers who soar to high heights. You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed. You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you'll be the best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest. Except when you don't. Because, sometimes, you won't. I'm sorry to say so but, sadly, it's true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you. But oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all. Fame! You'll be famous as famous can be, with the whole wide world watching you win on TV. Except when they don't. Because, sometimes, they won't. I'm afraid that some times you'll play lonely games too. Games you can't win 'cause you'll play against you. And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! 98 and ¾ percent guaranteed. Henry County High School Class of 2000. Our future is now, and change is upon us. We will no longer pass through these halls. You may never see the person sitting next to you again. We will enter a changing world, full of changing expectations. To succeed and be happy today requires more effort and tomorrow, even more. I would now like to refer to a recent book entitled, Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson. This book is a simple parable that reveals profound truths about change. It is a story of four characters who live in a maze and look for cheese to nourish them and make them happy. The two mice are named sniff and scurry. And the two "little people"beings the size of mice who look and act a lot like peopleare named Hem and Haw. "Cheese" in this story is a metaphor for what you want to have in lifewhether it is a good job, a loving relationship, money, possessions, health, or spiritual peace of mind. Each of us has our own idea of what cheese is and we pursue it because it makes us happy. If we get it, we often become attached to it. And if we lose, or it is taken away, it can be very traumatic. In the story, the characters are faced with unexpected change. For months, the mice and little people have been eating cheese from cheese station C in the maze. One day, it was gone. This did not surprise Sniff and Scurry because they had noticed their supply had been getting smaller each day and they were prepared for the inevitable and knew instinctively what to do. They looked as each other, removed their little running shoes and put them on. The mice did not overanalyze things. They were not burdened with many complex beliefs. Their solution was simple. The situation at cheese station C had changed and so Sniff and Scurry decided to change too. They went quickly off through the maze in search of new cheese. But Hem and Haw had a very different reaction. First they were mad, yelling "Who moved my cheese?" Then disbelief set in. Why would someone do this to them? By the next day, Haw decided to go out and look for cheese, even though the uncertainty of the situation scared him a lot. Hem, by now very hungry, still refused and stayed in hope the cheese would return. So Haw left Hem there to travel the maze. Just when he thought he was getting ahead, he would get lost. It was a challenge, but he had to admit that being back in the maze hunting for cheese was not as bad as he had feared. Haw looked back on things and realized that the cheese in cheese station C had been disappearing. And toward the end, the cheese didn't taste as good. Mold had begun to grow on it. He realized that the change would not have taken him by surprise if he had been watching what was happening all along and anticipated change. Haw now knew that he would be in better shape if he had embraced change sooner and left cheese station C earlier. He could have found new cheese by now if he had expected change, rather than wasting time denying that change had already taken place. By now, Haw had let go of the past and was adapting to the present. Before long, he found new cheese in cheese station N. He saw piles of the greatest supply of cheese imaginable. Some of the cheeses were new. He wondered if it was his imagination until he saw Sniff and Scurry. He pulled off his little running shoes and started eating. He jumped into the new cheese, and made a toast. "Hooray for change." There are 7 things I would like you to learn from this little story: change happens, anticipate change, monitor change, adapt to change quickly, change, enjoy change, and be ready to change quickly and enjoy it again. After all, the only constant is change. And if you don't change, there's a great probability that you'll be left in the dust or in cheese station C with Hem. Think about itwhat ever happened to shag carpeting, disco, or pogo sticks? Sure, they are great novelties, but is that what you wantto be that old toy in a child's closet who never gets played with? Let me answer that for you. No. We are the Class of 2000. We want to live! |
My Valedictorian Graduation Speech |
This is a sample picture. I am not any of these people. |
Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in you shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go. You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care. About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there." With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street. And you may not find any you'll want to go down. In that case, of course, you'll head straight out of town. Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as you. OH! THE PLACES YOU'LL GO! You'll be on your way up! You'll be seeing great sights! You'll join the high fliers who soar to high heights. You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed. You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you'll be the best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest. Except when you don't. Because, sometimes, you won't. I'm sorry to say so but, sadly, it's true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you. But oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all. Fame! You'll be famous as famous can be, with the whole wide world watching you win on TV. Except when they don't. Because, sometimes, they won't. I'm afraid that some times you'll play lonely games too. Games you can't win 'cause you'll play against you. And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! 98 and ¾ percent guaranteed. Henry County High School Class of 2000. Our future is now, and change is upon us. We will no longer pass through these halls. You may never see the person sitting next to you again. We will enter a changing world, full of changing expectations. To succeed and be happy today requires more effort and tomorrow, even more. I would now like to refer to a recent book entitled, Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson. This book is a simple parable that reveals profound truths about change. It is a story of four characters who live in a maze and look for cheese to nourish them and make them happy. The two mice are named sniff and scurry. And the two "little people"beings the size of mice who look and act a lot like peopleare named Hem and Haw. "Cheese" in this story is a metaphor for what you want to have in lifewhether it is a good job, a loving relationship, money, possessions, health, or spiritual peace of mind. Each of us has our own idea of what cheese is and we pursue it because it makes us happy. If we get it, we often become attached to it. And if we lose, or it is taken away, it can be very traumatic. In the story, the characters are faced with unexpected change. For months, the mice and little people have been eating cheese from cheese station C in the maze. One day, it was gone. This did not surprise Sniff and Scurry because they had noticed their supply had been getting smaller each day and they were prepared for the inevitable and knew instinctively what to do. They looked as each other, removed their little running shoes and put them on. The mice did not overanalyze things. They were not burdened with many complex beliefs. Their solution was simple. The situation at cheese station C had changed and so Sniff and Scurry decided to change too. They went quickly off through the maze in search of new cheese. But Hem and Haw had a very different reaction. First they were mad, yelling "Who moved my cheese?" Then disbelief set in. Why would someone do this to them? By the next day, Haw decided to go out and look for cheese, even though the uncertainty of the situation scared him a lot. Hem, by now very hungry, still refused and stayed in hope the cheese would return. So Haw left Hem there to travel the maze. Just when he thought he was getting ahead, he would get lost. It was a challenge, but he had to admit that being back in the maze hunting for cheese was not as bad as he had feared. Haw looked back on things and realized that the cheese in cheese station C had been disappearing. And toward the end, the cheese didn't taste as good. Mold had begun to grow on it. He realized that the change would not have taken him by surprise if he had been watching what was happening all along and anticipated change. Haw now knew that he would be in better shape if he had embraced change sooner and left cheese station C earlier. He could have found new cheese by now if he had expected change, rather than wasting time denying that change had already taken place. By now, Haw had let go of the past and was adapting to the present. Before long, he found new cheese in cheese station N. He saw piles of the greatest supply of cheese imaginable. Some of the cheeses were new. He wondered if it was his imagination until he saw Sniff and Scurry. He pulled off his little running shoes and started eating. He jumped into the new cheese, and made a toast. "Hooray for change." There are 7 things I would like you to learn from this little story: change happens, anticipate change, monitor change, adapt to change quickly, change, enjoy change, and be ready to change quickly and enjoy it again. After all, the only constant is change. And if you don't change, there's a great probability that you'll be left in the dust or in cheese station C with Hem. Think about itwhat ever happened to shag carpeting, disco, or pogo sticks? Sure, they are great novelties, but is that what you wantto be that old toy in a child's closet who never gets played with? Let me answer that for you. No. We are the Class of 2000. We want to live! |
