Being a Pooh-Pooh Head

“You’re a pooh-pooh head!”

-Tanner Droubay

Being a Pooh-Pooh Head

There was a sea of blue and black stretching out almost as far as my eye could see.  Such colors generally mean that a calm sea is turning into a treacherous, life threatening monster. It was not the case today.

Today, it meant just the opposite.  It was a sign of hope and a promising future.  I was looking down at the floor of a high school graduating class with the boys frocked in black and the girls dressed in blue.  It was not a day to feel blue or black.  It was a day of celebration and accomplishment.

I don’t often take the time to measure accomplishment over a period of almost eighteen years.  It can be a hard task to accurately remember how things were so long ago.  It’s too easy to forget the old reality in the sea of constant change around us.

This wasn’t the case today because there was such a vivid opening in colorful array.  One of the graduates was my friend Tanner Droubay.  I’ve known Tanner for most of his life and have watched him literally grow into a fine man.  He was sitting below with other young men down on the floor of the arena.

At an appropriate time the row Tanner was sitting on arose to promenade in a line to receive their diplomas.  I listened intently, heard Tanner’s name read and watched him receive his graduation certificate.  He was smiling broadly and it made me smile while floating away.

When I arrived at my destination it was a different scene.  I saw a small boy playing with my daughters.  I could also see myself, a younger, thinner with a fuller head of hair version; join in their play through teasing.  Warmth of memory began in my toes and grew until it washed my entire body.  It broadened my smile when I heard Tanner object to my teasing with, “You’re a pooh-pooh head!”

When I left the arena to shake Tanner’s hand and congratulate him I was still a pooh-pooh head, but he was a handsome, well mannered, educated man!  I couldn’t have asked for him to become anything more!  He has exceeded my expectations in every area of his life and his accomplishments have given me hope!

Tanner has demonstrated that if a person is willing to seek growth, their life will change dramatically over time.  They will become a person of honor, education, refinement, charm and of stout heart.  I know Tanner is continuing down this same path in his immediate future.  It’s a path I plan to follow him on. 

The path doesn’t care how old you are.  It simply matters that you choose to be on the path every day so it can transform you.  Perhaps there’s still hope for all of us!