My Greatest Success is Found in Him

Dr. Suess once said, "oh, the places you'll go!"

He said, "You have brains in your head.  You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose."

He even said, "You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.  You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.  Wherever you fly, you'll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest."

And, he pretty much guaranteed me that I would succeed, saying, 

"Yes! You will, indeed!"

 But he never once mentioned:

Andrew.

Technically speaking,

Andrew was my colleague, the one to partner with when it was time to give workshops and meet with people who wanted to talk about how it is they should teach.

Technically speaking,

he was the just the guy with whom I got the job done.

But, over the span of two whole years, this hard working,
super smart, and all-around wonderful person
sat across from me from day to day,

and--somehow and inexplicably--

became my favorite view.
[I didn't make him pose or anything...]

Bonding over things we love--

things like tulips and passionate discussion of the existence
and/or non-existence of God--

this man challenged me, cared for me, encouraged me, tolerated me, listened to me and moved me, with love and with grace.
He also made me laugh.  Loudly.

And so you can imagine the heaviness of my heart when, 

this past Friday, 

we took our last working lunch.

We finished cleaning out our space,

and had our last moments of us-ness--

because our time at Schreyer is over, and we are moving on.

We met lots of people, we had great success.  We worked hard, and we worked well. We made progress where progress was waiting to be made.  And we did it, always, together.

Now, here, on this bittersweet side of a job well done, I reflect on our journey. I think on the ways Andrew made me my best.  And I remember Dr. Suess with his statement of passing and topping and beating the rest, and I realize that I, for one, am glad that Dr. Suess was wrong.  

In the future, when I look back on these years, the success will fade, the enjoyment of the work will paint a subtle backdrop, but what will remain is this warmth in my heart.

What will remain is this, my dear dear friend, because it is he that speaks of my greatest success.