This week at my school is Spirit Week, the days leading up to the end of our Fall sports season, a day on which almost all of our teams play against our rival school. One of my favorite traditions is that many of the previous year's graduating seniors return to see one another and cheer on Hotchkiss teams. I'm particularly excited to see the recent alumni this year, as I was their class dean and am quite fond of the kiddos who'll be coming back to campus.
Which brings me back to think about last spring, when I read their names and watched them walk across the stage to receive their diplomas. I took the photo above at 4:45 am on May 30, 2025. I was at the lake starting a bonfire to greet any students from the Class of 2025 who wanted an early morning dip (in Lake Wononscopomuc) or a doughnut (in their mouths) before their 11:00 am graduation that same day. The morning was stunning, and I hope the seventy-ish kiddos who showed up appreciated not only the view but also the day.
In their final time on campus, tried to help them savor every aspect of their time at Hotchkiss. In a speech I gave on the first night of their Senior year, I advised them (using the somewhat clichéd poem "The Summer Day" by Mary Oliver) to figure out what they wanted to do with their one wild and precious Senior year. Then, at intervals through the year, I reminded them of how much/little time they had remaining in the year. For the ten days leading up to the morning I took this photo, I sent them a daily email that had something to do with the number of days and the kinds of events remaining.
I believe (and I think this idea is supported by science, but I encourage you to do your own research) that reminders of how much time we have left encourage us to focus our lives in beneficial ways.
I'm not talking about the old doctor's office joke:
- Patient: So you've run all the tests, what did you find?
- Doctor: I'm sorry to say this, but it's bad news. We've found out that you have only ten left to live.
- Patient: Wait? Ten what? Ten years, ten months, ten weeks?
- Doctor: Ten...nine...eight...
Maybe that patient won't have the same reaction to the countdown as I was hoping to evoke from the 2025s, but most people can help themselves to reframe a limited time remaining in ways that encourage looking for the good rather than wishing the moments away. We would all be happier if we spent our time thinking about what we appreciate about where we are and what we're doing, rather than looking ahead to the next thing and wishing this current situation past.
While it might seem counterintuitive to think that emphasizing the countdown helps us to remember the present, I think that's what our brains do. If I feel that the present situation will go on indefinitely, I might squander it.
What do you think? How do you feel about a countdown? Are you currently counting down to anything great? How are you cherishing the interim? Please share your responses in the comments.
Oh, and also, for this Saturday, GO BLUE!
