Nathan Eklund is an incredible teacher and although the formality and context in which people learn from him has changed, he has not lost the seamless way he instills understanding, inspiration, and affirmation in those around him. Nate was my high school English teacher but he has taught me so much more than English. Unless you've sat in his classroom, anxious and eager for the next sermon about existentialism or Emily Dickinson, it doesn't do him any justice to call him an ordinary teacher. We've all had plenty of ordinary teachers. Mr. Eklund, though, is extraordinary. His classroom was where my love affair with Henry David Thoreau and Edgar Lee Masters began. He also taught me about passion. But it wasn't in any textbook. It was through his actions every day when the morning class bell startled us all into focus. The passion and energy that filled our classroom when he began was the best kind of exhausting. He had a way of making even grammar lessons come to life. It was in his classroom where I was first introduced to the idea of vocation. I witnessed his testimony every day by the way he expressed his passions and shared his energy with us. I knew that someday, whatever I became, I wanted to match that passion and that enthusiasm. So, of course, I went to college to become a high school English teacher. Four majors and six years later, I ended up with my Masters in Psychology and while I may not have a degree in English, I have been driven by the passion I learned in his classroom and am more than content with my life today.
Fast forward a few years and it's no misunderstanding why I was so giddy that Nathan, an Ole grad, showed up on my alumni-contact list for the 2012 Sophomore Retreat that I was leading. My worlds from my past and present don't often cross - somewhat intentionally - but this was an opportunity for one of my favorite people from my past to inspire the people of my present. I was jazzed. And what transpired on that Friday night at the retreat was nothing less than inspirational. The kind of inspirational that my students are continuing to process, now nearly two weeks later. It was such a honor to share Nate with my students and now they have a deeper understanding of why I am who I am today.
The evaluations asked the students if there was a particular speech that resonated with them and almost every single evaluation out of 85 said 'Nate Eklund', 'Ali's HS English teacher', or 'the cool soccer coach and guy in the band'. I'm not surprised one bit.
I continue to hear a couple themes from Nate's speech buzzing around campus so I'd like to share them with all of you. Nate, I hope you don't mind. I know this is somewhat out of context...
1. It's not about what you do - it's about how you do it.
Those who allowed the truth of this idea to settle in were impacted so deeply by it. As high achievers and goal-oriented, driven people, titles and recognition can become consuming. So consuming that we can often get so clouded by its smoke that we are unable to see the beauty in the work we are doing or the impact it is having. But it truly isn't about the letters the come before or after our name or the titles we hold, it is about the way in which we do our work. Nate told us an awesome story about an extraordinary hotel shuttle driver who taught us that no job or title is too small or seemingly insignificant. We can have an impact on everyone we meet. What a powerful idea! If we strive to leave every human interaction better than we were at hello, imagine what a difference that would make.
2. We all have many different versions of ourselves. Choose the best version of yourself whenever you can.
What a charge! This might be the single-most meaningful statement made all weekend. And considering the weekend we had, that says a lot. This idea has been the theme of my thoughts over the last 10 days and to be completely honest, I haven't always been thrilled with my own reflection. I have come to realize that sometimes it takes a heavy amount of energy for me to be the best version of myself. There are many times I long to quietly go about my day, almost as if I were invisible. But in my extroverted field, I'm forced out of my comfortable shell quite often. It continues to be a challenge for me as I strive to find a balance between all the different versions of myself, but specifically the inner self that longs to remain unnoticed. But I've realized that to go unnoticed is to resign to status quo and when I choose status quo, I do not leave every interaction better because I avoid them instead. What I love most about this concept, though, is that it is a reminder that each day we are presented with endless decisions about which self to choose. How we react when accidents happen or tragedies strike, what we say to and how we greet people, how we treat one another in routine moments, each interaction, we get to choose how we leave our mark on others. And my hope is that the more we choose the best version of ourselves, the more it will become routine, no longer making it easy to resign to our own versions of status quo.
I certainly didn't need this retreat to kindle my memory as to how much Nate has influenced my journey but I sure appreciate the striking reminder. It has reminded me how important it is to continue to thank people along the way. We are often a product of the people around us and it's important not to forget that. So, I'd like everyone to know how much I appreciate Nate's enduring example, inspiration, wisdom, guidance, reality-checks, passion and energy. One of my favorite passions in my life is my writing and he has been such a huge part of that. For so many reasons, thank you.
