“A little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants. A final end, a funeral’s toll, a little wisdom for your soul.”
Legacy is a bitch for most of us. What will you be remembered for? Do you know? Are you sure? Me? Heck, right now I’d be happy to simply know it’s not the little ditty you just read in ode to life and death! I attended a memorial this weekend for a truly remarkable man. In my lifetime I’ve had over 50 teachers, from Catholic grade school nuns to Princeton University professors. Of those, three stand out for their impact on me: there was Miss Carlson in 5th grade, who first taught me that life was fun even in a Catholic school; and my anthropology professor at Princeton who asked me a question so powerful, I finally left the church for good. But in between those two wonderful theological bookends, was Mr. Jerome “Jerry” Lipetzky, for whom the memorial was held. He taught me that there’s no end to learning and nothing quite so liberating as the exploration of a new interest. He was also one of the smartest and sarcastically humorous men I’ve ever met. (In his classroom there was not one square inch of wall space that was not covered with something funny, educational or challenging and usually all three at once.) My favorite memory to this day: a bumper sticker casually stuck to a small, flat boulder near the back of his room that read:
The World is Flat
Class of ’91
Think about that for a minute… humor, history, a little sarcastic jab at what we think we know, and how often we are wrong; that’s an amazing sticker and trust me when I tell you he was an amazing man.
So What…
“Yes, yes, so what’s the point of this post Sean?” Coming to it. At the memorial, one of the speakers stood before us and read aloud a list of seven rules, for lack of a better word, that Mr. Lipetzky tried to live his life by; each rule came with a short explanation. As I heard them I was reminded again why Mr. Lipetzky had the impact he did; why hundreds turned out at a memorial for a high school teacher; why he was so beloved. I began to write each one down on my hand and when the speaker was done I understood Mr. Lipetzky’s legacy. Now I want to pass it on to you…
The 7 Lipetzky-isms
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The world is fascinating. Travel! Make time to see other parts of the world. It doesn’t have to be expensive, but you do have to make the time. Do so.
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Nature is beautiful. Get outdoors: hike, bike, camp, crawl, whatever it takes to get out into nature and see the beauty that quietly surrounds us.
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Animals deserve respect. We are but one of many species sharing this planet. (This in no way conflicted with his love of hunting and fishing!)
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Get off your butt. Turn off the TV and the internet. Go outside & breathe fresh air. Interact…
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Make things with your own hands. Whether a cabinet or computer code, you’ll be surprised how competent you are and how beautiful is your creation.
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Question authority. It’s fun… it’s needed… did I mention it’s fun? Who says authority knows anything anyhow?
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Make and keep friends. No explanation needed…
If you are wondering what this post has to do with you… if you’re wondering what a little “memorial-inspired” wisdom has to do with becoming better at whatever it is you do… if you don’t understand that to become better at almost anything we do, we must first become – just better… then I suggest you stop what you’re doing and take a good long look at the world around you. No matter how we make our profession, we’re in the people business. The good ones know that to their very core.
One last thought. The final speaker, a young woman who became a friend of Mr. Lipetzky’s through their shared love of painting, quoted this one line from him: “Life begs to be lived!” Live begs to be lived… now there’s a legacy for you.
Filed under: LIFE THAT POPs
I remember Mr. Lipetzky from my time at El Capitan. Although I didn’t start there until 10th grade, he was obviously the most popular teacher on campus. I was saddened to hear of his passing late last year.
The teacher at El Cap who influenced me the most was Mr. Hoss. Had him for two years and his Friday classes were the best. He would teach for about 20 minutes then give us his “Thought For The Week.” These were a blend of his life lessons, both practical and sometimes spiritual.
In high school and college we are at a very influential stage in our lives and I thank God for those teachers who cared like Mr. Lipetzky and Mr. Hoss.
Great post.
-Joe