Dear Friends,
This time of year, there are graduation parties happening everywhere. I am sorry I cannot be at all of them. Regardless, it is a blessing for me to see how far young people have come in just a few years of schooling. They give me such hope. This is also the time when we are invited to give them advice for how to go forward.
In 2014, Admiral McRaven was asked to deliver the commencement address to the graduating class at his alma mater, the University of Texas. He gave a great talk and you can find the full talk online. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxBQLFLei70). He had devoted thirty-seven years of his life to the U.S. Navy. He served as a SEAL, rising to become a team commander and, eventually, a four-star admiral. Near the end of his career, McRaven was Commander of all U.S. Special Operations Forces. He was actively involved in some of the most precarious missions in the War on Terror, including the capture of Saddam Hussein and the killing of Osama bin Laden.
After living a life so filled with dangerous missions, stressful life-and-death decisions, and intense dedication, hearers might expect profound lessons from Admiral McRaven’s speech. His first counsel offered to the graduates? “Make your bed.” Here is what he said in that part of the speech:
“Every morning in basic SEAL training, my instructors, who at the time were all Vietnam veterans, would show up in my barracks room and the first thing they would inspect was your bed. If you did it right, the corners would be square, the covers would be pulled tight, the pillow centered just under the headboard and the extra blanket folded neatly at the foot of the rack. It was a simple task — mundane at best. But every morning we were required to make our bed to perfection. It seemed a little ridiculous at the time, particularly in light of the fact that we were aspiring to be real warriors, tough battle-hardened SEALs, but the wisdom of this simple act has been proven to me many times over.
If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another. By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter. If you can’t do the little things right, you will never be able to do the big things right.
And, if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made — that you made — and a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better. So, if you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.”
He goes on to give some other profound advice to those graduates. There is not room to give them all to you here (but follow the link above). I want to simply focus on his first point. We all need structure and routine to give a sense of order to our lives, particularly in the most stressful seasons. Right now, due to the pandemic, war in Ukraine, rising inflation, shortages of homes and baby formula, millions of people find their lives somewhat turned upside down. During times of profound challenges in our world, framing our days around specific routines can help provide a sense of accomplishment and stability in the midst of the things in life that are out of our control.
Our Cabrini Communities are looking at simple disciplines that they can practice to shape their lives closer to the model provided by Jesus. Like the simple task of making a bed, these disciplines may at first appear to be a hassle or even mundane, they make our lives easier and richer over the long run, however. Let me ask you, what simple tasks have you added to your life to make your life better? Would you share that wisdom with our new graduates? Enjoy the task.
Peace,
Fr. Damian