Tim Abare

Last weekend, Ann and I had a delightful Mother’s Day breakfast at our favorite Atlanta brunch spot, Murpy’s. Our server was a winsome and hard working young man who was set to graduate from Morehouse College, the historically black, all-male institution that counts Martin Luther King Jr. among its alumni.

I’m thinking of our server friend, a week later, on this very stormy, rain soaked Sunday morning.  The City of Atlanta will come to a stand still as the POTUS flies Air Force One into the busiest airport in the world just in time to deliver the commencement address at Morehouse.

It’s a big time for a lot of people, not just here but around the country – after all, it’s graduation season. I like the hype that surrounds a meaning-filled graduation and I appreciate the pomp and circumstance against the backdrop of more serious academia types as they parade around in robes, ropes, and sashes.

But having never personally “walked” (high school or college), I remember what Mark Twain said, “I never let schooling get in the way of my education.”

My classroom/laboratory is the day-to-day of my life. My learning is extracted from the cumulative daily successes and failures as I explore and engage a wide-ranging group of people and opportunities. How about you?

I agree with what Eartha Kitt said, “I am learning all the time.  The tombstone will be my diploma.”