NOTE: The Tin Man, who delivered the commencement address to the Emerald University Class of 2011, was asked to address the members of the Class of 2023
A lot has happened in the dozen years since I was given the honor of addressing the graduating class of Emerald University. Some would say the world has been turned inside out and upside down. To that, I would say “so what’s new?”
What’s really new is you, the freshly minted graduates who are ready to embark on an amazing journey. If your lives were a hit series on Netflix or Amazon, I would say today is the final episode of Season One of a series called “It’s About Time.” You are a supporting player in the series. Time is the star and that’s because time rules our lives, and in many cases, time ruins our lives.
As children, we couldn’t wait to grow up. Time was not our friend. Time held us back from doing what we wanted to do when we wanted to do it. When we cast off the shackles of childhood we never looked back. It was the future that mattered. And again it was time that stood in the way.
Today, time is up. The past is well behind you and the future is at your fingertips. Everything you’ve done for the last four years has come to this moment in time.
Let me repeat that. “Come to this moment in time.” What does that mean? It means everything because while we were busy engaging time in a battle, we lost sight of the moments we were living.
Today is one of those special moments in time. It is filled with pomp and loaded with circumstances, many of which are out of our control.
You were raised in a DVR world where you could binge-watch what you wanted to watch whenever you wanted to. You could fast-forward episodes for any reason whatsoever. But in doing so, you sacrificed enjoying the fullness of the moments of your life.
In life, it’s the moments that count. It’s the moments that make the real difference in our lives. Memories are born out of moments. And of all the moments in our lives, there are those moments that take our breath away.
Ask your parent and your grandparents about life’s precious moments. They’ll tell you how the moments in their lives made them who they are.
They’ll recount the moment you were born, the moment you said your first word the moment you took your first wobble step, the moment you got that first hit in Little League, or the moment you mastered that back flip…and on and on.
Life is filled with those moments…and if you’ve been alive to the wonder of moments, you’ve experienced some breathtaking moments in your life. The first time you fell in love. That first Little League hit. The moment you discovered what made you unique. The moment you stood up tall for something you believed in.
And while we’re waxing poetic about moments, I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you that not all moments are rainbows and lollipops. There are those moments in life when with tears in our hearts we lose the people we love. There are also those moments when a dream comes crashing to the ground. Yet, despite the sorrow that some moments bring, it is by living in those moments that we learn how to rise again.
Don’t let time smother you. Don’t let it dictate the course of your life. Savor the moments in your life. Moments are not controlled by the past or the future. Past moments can rightfully be called memories. Future moments can be considered dreams. In the present, moments can be called opportunities.
When you pack your car with your possessions and leave campus today, don’t forget to pack those moments that happened to you during your four wonderful years here.
I can only hope that when that moment in your life does come and takes your last breath away, your heart will explode and fill the universe with those moments that filled your days with awe and wonder. The stars in the sky at night are really the moments that we’ve lived.
Live life to the fullest. Love life with all your heart. If you do that, the moments in your life will guide you home.
Along The Yellow Brick Road 