We sat across from each other at dinner,
a worn fern bar table and four decades separating us.
She, the Millennial, full of youth, beauty, and promise.
Me, the Boomer, bone tired and beaten down,
neither attractive nor promising. Old certainly.
We spoke of many things, conversation flowing effortlessly, honestly.
She crackles with energy that, harnessed, could power
the mid-Atlantic states.
I absorb it, refreshed to be in such a presence.
She converses in Millennial speech with words like
“sustaining”, “color blind”, “fairness”, and “community”.
I nod knowingly, but feel the weight of my generation’s sins
of omission and commission.
The Millennial does not condemn, for she is far too busy
planning great things to assess blame.
I am thankful for that.
We did our best. We had no more of a guidebook
than she will have.
I am fascinated as she texts friends while talking life strategy
and answers straight-up questions
with “yes” or “no”, never saying “absolutely”.
She speaks of concepts beyond her years.
She seems an old soul in a nymph’s body,
not yet scarred, bent, and made resentful.
I want so much to say, “here is the way; follow this plan
and learn from my pain. Stay this course
and avoid the traps that will make you regret in the night.”
But even as I wish for her a path straight and simple,
pain free and full of safe goodness,
I would no more impose on her that free pass than I would send her
purposely down a dark road.
No, my best for her is to give counsel if asked
and let her chart her own way to self-actualization.
She must face life in full force to be tested and tempered
and earn tensile strength of mind and spirit.
Better to compete in the arena on her own than take
shelter from broken sages, wise though they may be.
To my delight, she does ask counsel.
She shares ideas, and she asks that I give in equal measure.
Rather, she expects it.
I look with great affection at this strange and wonderful creature who is
without guile or meanness, who is at once naive and worldly-wise
and seeks to fight the good fight for the planet’s ecosystem
and the advancement of community.
She seeks nothing less than true equality, peace, justice, and
a light human footstep on Planet Earth.
I yield to her radiant spirit.
Trapped in my generation’s DNA, I embrace the changing of the guard,
knowing that on her watch, wrongs will be righted.
She will peel away the injustice and inequity
that clogs the arteries of previous generations.
She will, as Faulkner said, not merely endure, but prevail.
Wonderful, beautiful and inspiring post. It’s nice to come back to the blogosphere and find gems like these. We don’t want “the way,” merely guidance when looking over our shoulder in hopes of a nod encouraging our next step. Thank you for recognizing the eagerness of a less-seasoned professional as, not a weakness, but a necessity for this place.
My Dear Lisa:
Thank you for your comments. You truly got what I was trying to say. I am happy for that.
Lisa, getting to know you has led me to realize that you are one of those who will prevail. Make that excel. I join Tiffany Derville in being extremely proud of you.
Les
Les,
Thank you for the inspirational post. You speak from the heart. I am proud of Lisa and our other Millennial students who are eager to turn their visions into reality.
Tiffany
Les, Thank you for such a wonderful post. It’s reassuring to know that seasoned professionals do still have faith in some of the soon-to-be-pros. With graduation looming I’m beginning to worry about making mistakes in he ‘real World”, but this helps me to realize I will make mistakes before I find my way, and knowing I have the support of my instructors and professionals who I’ve met along my path toward my career puts me at ease. thank you.
Tiffany:
It is funny, but I feel close to many of your University of Oregon students. Like Lisa, they are special, talented people. I have come to know Lisa and others through their blogs, the ones they began under your wise direction.
I wrote the poem based on a real dinner conversation last Thursday evening. It was a special evening (I don’t have too many of those here, at least, not like that one). Then, we had our annual Scholar’s Banquet the following Friday night, one of my most favorite things we do in MCCS. That Friday night event, on top of my Thursday evening dinner conversation, touched me deeply. The result was that I wrote the poem in my head driving the 65 miles from Towson to my home in Virginia after the Scholar’s Banquet. When I got home, I merely typed it into my blog.
Being the great writer you are, TD, it may seem strange that the my thoughts and feelings about Millennials and generations came out as a poem. Working with these magnificient young people touches you I know as deeply as it touches me. The result was not a news sotry or an educational piece, but a poem of tribute. I meant it to be a loving tribute.
Anyway, readers will be the judge of its impact. It may not be well received, but it is what I felt — strongly felt — and ultimately had to say. Isn’t that the purpose of a blog anyway?
Thanks for your constant support, my dear TD.
Staci,
Thank you for your kind words. It means a great deal to hear this.
You will be just fine, my friend. You will find your way. Remember the old Zen proverb, “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” Paraphrase that to say this: “When the young working professional is ready, the workplace mentor will appear.”
Write from the top.
Les
Your post reminded me of the Churchill quote “if you’re not liberal when you’re 25, you have no heart. If you’re not conservative when you’re 35, you have no brain.” For me, it’s not so straight forward. I balance my inner Vonnegut with the earnestness of a child and the idealism of a teenager.
This said, I enjoyed your passing of the torch.
Les, this is so beautiful, I’m practically speechless.
Yes, only practically…. when have you ever known me to be truly without words?
Thank you for reinforcing that there are those of you who believe in us, the upstarts, the newcomers, the Millennials. Thank you for making me feel good about the journey I’m about to take, for giving me a glimmer of hope and bringing a small tear to my eye.
I am blown away by this poem, by your thoughts and feelings – your honesty. This is what I will save for the tough times in my career, the rainy days when things don’t seem to be working and I’m not saving the world.
I’m going to print it out and file it away because I know there will be a day when I’ll need to pull out, read the wisdom and smile again.
Les, you have made this semester worth the past 16 years of education it took to get here. I could not have asked for a better professor from which to learn in my last semester at Towson. You have taught me more than I could ever have imagined in a few short months and make me want to absorb even more. We will have to stay in touch because I can not imagine going through a week without hearing what you have to say about life.
Thank you for being who you are and sharing what you do. You put so much of yourself into every lesson and I need you to know how grateful I am for that. Thank you for the passion with which you live life and teach. You are an amazing man and I am better for knowing you.
That being said, I must also congratulate you on your most recent achievement (something previously thought to be impossible): you’ve knocked me speechless.
Les,
I’ve been doing too much reading on millennials lately for a research project (with Tiffany Derville). The articles and books and podcasts and everything else makes me feel heavy and sad. It’s all so negative. This post is the opposite – beautiful, uplifting and hopeful. Thank you.
Kelli Matthews
Les,
This post gave me chills. It is refreshing and inspiring. Thank you for your honesty. I’m honored to work with young professionals like the one you described above. We’re ready to take the torch, and people like you have prepared and motivated us to do so. Thank you for your encouragement.
Allie
Angie,
And I am going to print your comment to read when I feel down, when I feel like I am not effective, not helping my students, not getting through to them. I’ll read your words and be encouraged and energized to go on.
Thank you, Angie
Les
Hello Allie,
It is good to hear from you. Yes, you are ready to take the torch and carry it farther than those who came before you. I wish you all the best on your journey. You are always welcome back here to share you experiences.
Les
Kelli,
It is disturbing to hear about what your research is uncovering. I would like to read your work if possible when the time is right. I am curious to see what all the negativity is about.
The work place the Millennials will enter is really interesting. There will be four generations working side by side when today’s graduates take their first jobs. The implications for organizational communication are compelling. But they will find their way, as we did. And they will have had your leadership and guidance.
Les
It’s always refreshing and inspiring to learn how generations teach each other, and how generations learn from each other. Lovely poetry…
First and foremost, I didn’t even notice that the author of this post was the one and only, Les Potter, my wonderful PR Group advisor, my PR Writing professor and above all, my very good friend.
After I read it is when I scrolled up and saw that it was he who wrote it!
It truly is a beautiful post that I can certainly relate to, especially after listening to Natasha Nicholson’s speech given at the Networking Fair this past Wednesday.
She gave us helpful hints about starting a professional career, like, saying OK to “starting all the way at the bottom.” One of the many interesting things that she told us was the generational differences that are present in the workforce. I guess I am considered a “Millenial”, being born in 1988. I can relate to the young woman being referred to in the column…being full of energy and feeling like I can make a difference no matter what. I can say that I am slightly naiive, but more so optimistic and that I will stop at nothing to be successful. However, the advice of the older and wiser generations is something that I, like the woman in the post, seek frequently. I know that they have endured things that I can’t even begin to understand or sometimes, relate to. But often it is misunderstood that we are “entitled” (as Miss Nicholson put it). I can attest that I have certainly not been “entitled” to really anything in my life.
I have worked since I was able to (12 years old as a babysitter).
I make my rent and car payments.
I have endured loss and great pain that most young people haven’t in my time.
I certainly have made mistakes that have hurt me for years at a time.
Not all of us millenials are entitled by any means. The majority of my friends spend all of their own hard-earned money on everything that they can call their own.
Anyways, I actually feel honored when I receive advice from older people and seek elders out especially for their thoughtful and informative advice and stories.
Great post, Mr. Potter. You are a great person, professional, teacher, advisor, and above all, a great and dear friend to me.
Thank you.
Great Post! I especially enjoyed the part about what words we millennials use.
Les,
This post really caught my attention. There are several things you included in here that made such an impact on me. First, I really liked how you started out in terms of your wording. You said there was a “fern bar table and four decades” separating you from the millennial. What I like most about this statement is how you incorporated both a literal meaning, as well as a figurative meaning to describe one situation. The second thing that struck me was when you referred to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. I agree that although you want to help the millennial by having her learn from your wisdom and past experiences, all you can do is be a mentor on her journey to self-actualization. The third and final aspect of this post that lingered with me was the last line, “She will not merely endure, but prevail.” I particularly enjoyed it because it possesses such a deep emotion. It shows how much you care for this millennial, and how much faith you have in her. It almost brought tears to my eyes because for someone to see such goodness and potential in another is just amazing.
This post really touched me. It’s so refreshing to meet such an inspirational professor like you. Everything you said here is true except about yourself. Age is just a number. It’s what inside that matters. Don’t ever forget that! Good luck with everything Les =)