Graduation
Wisdom School of Graduate Study
Ubiquity University
Graduation Address - June 2014
As an environmental educator, I immerse children in Nature, introducing them to diverse plants and animals in natural habitats of the Mid-Columbia River Basin in Southeastern Washington.
When working with children, I am often in hip waders, having waded into a wetland—net in hand—to catch freshwater invertebrates.
These tiny animals, I share with children. The children are immediately enthralled with the myriad creatures in the trays of water before them. Plastic spoons in hand, the children eagerly catch back swimmers, amphipods, midge larvae, water scorpions, and more. The magic of magnification reveals the pulsing of blood in thread-like tubifex worms, the spherical eggs in the carapace of daphnia, and the fluttering leaf-like gills of mayfly nymphs.
Peering through a microscope at tiny water mites scarcely more than a millimeter in diameter, children may exclaim, "They're so big!" And damselfly nymphs—relatives of the dragonfly—they emerge from the water. And the children—rapt with wonder—witness metamorphosis.
Like otters in their playfulness, the children cannot contain their joy and excitement. More often than not, they have never before encountered such creatures. This new world revealed, the children perceive a reality previously unknown and unseen. In their spontaneous response, they embody innocence—an inherent quality we all possess and can express. Innocence allows us to be receptive and creative and to imagine the possibilities.
Over the years, I have come to realize that through my work with children, I sow seeds of awareness and perception. I help transform their world in ways that may lead them to discover their physical, relational, and spiritual interconnections with Nature.
I'd like to close with a dream that I had last Fall as I was preparing for my defense:
I am standing outside on the patio of my hula teacher's home when suddenly an owl flies low overhead. And behold, a million beautiful butterflies fill the sky behind it. Their wings are transparent and glittering with jewel-like colors. I am overcome with awe. I turn to my teacher (my kumu) and say, "Pueo"—the Hawaiian word for owl. My kumu smiles in affirmation.
And I awaken from the dream, realizing that when we are transformed by wisdom, the world becomes transparent—revealed—and we can perceive all the possibilities.
Photo Credits: banner photo, Cheryl Cannon; photo 1, Sean Truex; photo 2, Clark Carlson ; photo 3, Shannon Hays-Truex