Today one of my 8th graders and former advisee gave his “this I believe” speech, modeled off of NPR’s speech series focusing on ethics and life lessons:

“There are many things in the world that should be appreciated for the good that they present us, for example the simple beauty of a rose. In order to take full advantage of the good things in life, such as our family and friends, we need to set aside our stress and our work. If we only look at the future we will never fully appreciate the good things happening in the present. This is why I believe living in the moment and noticing the many good things in life is very important.

Every year my mom and I take a road trip up to our family lake house in Michigan for two weeks. The lake is small enough not to have any motor boats on it. It is a quiet, peaceful and a very natural environment. I always have fun at my lake house; whether I am fishing, swimming, or just sleeping in. Three summers ago we were on the annual trip when I learned that living in the present was very important. The two weeks sped by and the whole time I was thinking about the camp that I would be going to in a couple of days. Before I knew it, we were packing up to leave. The two weeks of relaxing fun had gone by like that and there were many things I didn’t get to do. As we were leaving I was sad, I realized I had been looking forward to camp so much I forgot to take full advantage of my lake house stay. I was upset because it was a whole year before I could go back. But time spent was time spent and I couldn’t have my two weeks back. My mom told me that for next year I should try appreciating the stay more. The following summer we made the ten hour trip again. This time was different than before. I enjoyed every moment of the stay. I tried new things, which included taking my rowboat out and taking a look at a little island on the lake where I found a heron’s nest. I had a much better experience that year. Now when I leave for camp I feel satisfied with my vacation. From my stays in Michigan I learned that if you don’t live in the present and take advantage of opportunities, you live in regret, wishing you had done what you didn’t do.

We are fortunate in many ways. We go to a great school, have loving parents and have good health. It is important to live in the moment and be grateful for what we have now. On Monday mornings I’m sure many of us are already looking forward to the next weekend. When the weekend comes, we probably look forward to the next special event, when that event passes, we look forward to our next break from school, but it is better to be living in the present instead of always looking forward to the future. When something great happens, take advantage of it and enjoy the full experience. When you are stressed, stop yourself and remember to take in all the good things that are happening to you. The virtue of living in the present is best said by the Dalai Lama. When he was asked what surprised him most about humanity he said, “Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not live in the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future, he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies never really having lived.” We have many things to be thankful for and we need to make the most of them. If we do this, we will have a newfound appreciation for life as it is in the present. I believe that it is important to control your stress and realize the incredible things happening in your daily life. You should take advantage of the moment and not over worry the little things. So I leave you with something a great teacher once told me, ‘Remember to always take time to stop, and smell the roses.’ This I believe.”

His last line particularly caught my attention. “Wait,” I thought, “is he talking about me?” As goosebumps creeped along my arms, I knew my instincts were right and I was so excited.

I teach my students the concept of taking time to “stop and smell the roses” when I teach them about meditation. On these class days, I make 13-15 middle school boys sit silently in a room to clear their mind and exist in the present. Most of my boys can’t sit still in any normal scenario for longer than 30 seconds, let alone be silent, but they absolutely love meditating. Despite their initial, ill-informed perceptions, they came to crave the break from the pace of the daily grind. They relish in the challenge of thinking of nothing, and they share the images and journeys of their minds with excitement.

As a teacher, I have academic goals and life goals. As much as I want my boys to be fluent in Chinese, I want them to leave my classroom with an expanded worldview, a stronger sense of self, and a commitment to being a good person. These are lofty goals perhaps, but it’s moments like listening to my student’s speech today that motivate me to keep trying, to push them beyond their normal and stretch their comfort zones.

I was so proud of my student today. I am proud that he is someone who at 14, has internalized what it means to make the most of life. We can all benefit from getting a reminder to smell the roses because I don’t think any of us want to be the one on our death bed who wonders “where did all the time go?”