Never Stop Looking Ahead

By Dr. William H. Kraus

Motlow Buzz Contributing Writer

             

            SMYRNA – I recently asked myself, “What does the future hold? What am I looking forward to?”

            I have been most fortunate throughout my life. I’ve received a great education, served six communities with a total population of approximately 170,000 as city manager over a period of 25 years, and managed more than 20 non-profit associations in the health field and community/residential for another 20 years. I’ve also served as both adjunct and full-time professor in California and Tennessee since 1974. Related to that, I have just completed 15 years of service with Motlow State, beginning at our original Smyrna campus at the Tennessee National Guard here in Smyrna.

            I have always been a very active and enthusiastic “futurist,” welcoming the new, exciting and unpredictable events that will, without doubt, unveil in the days and months ahead. However, as I reach my current age and stage, it has come to my realization that I still see the future through the dreams, hopes and aspirations of our students here at Motlow State. Each class that I have the wonderful opportunity to be a part of has men and women who are just starting out on their individual journeys of life, with great mountains (and sometime valleys) to cross.

Dr. William H. Kraus

            Thus, my passion today is to be able to pass on the “spark of hope, optimism and dedication to excellence” to all of the students I see in class. I try to encourage them not to get bogged down in the details and the little steps that they may experience, but always keep the “eye on the prize.” 

            What better poem could I share than the following that came from the Journal of Humanistic Psychology, written by an 82-year-old man who was dying and accepting the death.

‘If I Had It to Do All Over Again’

"If I had my life to live over, I'd try to make more mistakes next time. I would relax. I would limber up. I'd be crazier than I've been on this trip. I know very few things that I would take seriously anymore. I would take more chances. I would take more trips, I would scale more mountains, I would swim more rivers, and I would watch more sunsets. I would eat more ice cream and fewer beans. I would have more actual troubles and fewer imaginary ones. 

You see, I was one of those people who lived prophylactically and sensibly and sanely, hour after hour and day after day. Oh, I've had my moments, and if I had it to do all over again, I'd have many more of them. In fact, I'd try not to have anything else… just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead of my day.

I've been one of those people who never went anywhere without a thermometer, a hot water bottle, a gargle, a raincoat, and a parachute. If I had to do it all over again, I'd travel lighter, much lighter than I have. I would start barefoot earlier in the spring, and stay that way later in the fall. I would ride more merry-go-rounds, I'd watch more sunrises, and catch more gold rings, and greet more people, and pick more flowers, and dance more often… If I had it to do over again.

But you see, I don’t