<p>I went to see Garrison Keillor last night. He was talking about high school commencement speeches. He said that instead of all the “seize the day” “the future is ours” “teach them to fish” cliches, the commencment speaker should teach them how to make potato salad. He said it isn’t hard…boil potatoes and eggs, chop some celery, add some mayonaise. His point was to do the work. When you are invited somewhere, don’t stop by the store and buy potato salad…do the work of making it yourself.</p>
<p>I thought that was a terrific idea and a terrific point to be made to graduating seniors.</p>
<p>The process of “doing the work” is so important to the cycle of learning! </p>
<p>Just had an emai from my D. She is currently employed full-time after graduating in May and completing a 6 week post-grad internship - she got a position there afterwards. She worked her butt of during the internship and is now working her butt off in the job - she is DOING THE WORK. But, since mid summer when she completed her internship, the office has hired two interns (both recent college grads) and both have quit! The latest was there ONE DAY and quit the next because the workload was too much. Seriously? After one day you can judge and make that decision on a PAID internship when you have no other job??! Seems to me, not enough motivation to learn and DO THE WORK.</p>
<p>From time to time we get new lawyers who make me think they would make good partners but terrible associates. They are great at telling others what to do, but not so great at doing it themselves.</p>
<p>missypie, in my industry one can become a project manager fresh out of graduate school by getting a certificate in Project Management. There is really such a job/title. :)</p>
<p>ok, now I feel guilty for buying potato salad, adding some mustard to it, slicing a hard-boiled egg on top, sprinking it with paprika, and then serving it like it’s home-made.</p>
<p>Potato salad is one of those dishes that comes in several different denominations, and the adherents to each are often just as fervent as the religious variety. Egg and mayo? Vinegar? Mustard? Onions? Chilled or warm?</p>
<p>It’s almost as easy to start an argument over potato salad recipes as it is chili recipes. </p>
<p>But I digress. Garrison Keillor is one of my very favorite entertainers, and he has many wise insights. Thanks for sharing this one.</p>
<p>He’s my favorite companion on long drives. My two favorite monologues are the one about the pontoon boat full of Lutheran ministers and the one about the Homecoming parade.</p>
<p>I have always felt and have taught my children that it actually takes less energy to really do the work than it does to make excuses and cover up the fact that you are NOT doing the work.</p>
<p>We all work with some people who fit into the latter category, don’t we? I watch them and think about the amount of effort that they put into avoiding the work that they are paid to do.</p>
<p>Does Garrison Keillor do training seminars?</p>
<p>looking4schools - don’t feel guilty! People like me would never show their face at a potluck with something store-bought, but we secretly love it when someone brings delicious food from the gourmet deli at Whole Foods, or our favorite pizza place :)</p>
<p>Garrison Keillor is fabulous, plain and simple.</p>
<p>Ahhh… Good old days! Baking a 100 cupcakes way past midnight… Would have been so much easier to swing by the QFC. That taught DD a life lesson! Many times since the cupcake baking spree I had to tell DD that as the head of this and that, her duties were to delegate duties. Her typical answer was, “Mom, it is such a minor thing, it will be so much easier if I do it myself!” Those apples did not fall far from the tree. :)</p>
<p>I despise cheesy, cliche “go change the world” graduation speeches. The potato salad speech is GREAT! (And I do not like project management ;))</p>
<p>It is much better if you grow the potatoes, raise the chickens for eggs, grow celery and chives and green onion and dill and mustard, and make the mayo from scratch. Then you feel you achieved something.</p>
<p>I thought that maybe Mr. Keillor himself had a recipe so I googled it. I didn’t find a recipe per se, but I did find the column from which he adapted the remarks that I heard earlier in the week. Good stuff.</p>