From Writing to Reflecting
21 May 2021
I’ve been using the Monk Manual for my daily organizer (you got me, Instagram ads). Every day it asks what habit I’m focusing on. This spring I put “write” nearly every day as I had several large research deadlines including my book manuscript. Most mornings I woke up at 5:30 AM and drove to the office in the dark. Some mornings I’d swing through Starbucks for a triple venti vanilla latte. My most productive writing hours seemed to be 6-10 AM, and I often stayed until 3 or 4 PM. Like a gamer not leaving their seat to keep playing, I worked my way through protein shakes and a 48-pack of Costco Extra Strength Energy Shots (which I jokingly called “6-hour energy”). Not recommended.
Now, the semester is over, deadlines have come and gone. In the habit section of my organizer, I have been putting “reflect.”
The past three years of moving to Louisiana and working at LSU have been a whirlwind. At LSU, I’m a full participant in the tenure game, which involves making as many meaningful contributions to scholarship as possible in a 6-year time period. At home with Khai, we’re responsible for the learning, thriving, safety, and bodily functions of two humans and two furry ones. As a homeowner, I think about the lawn, the trees, the potential of flooding (yay, Louisiana…), the roof, and the trash/recyclables. Adulting. I’ve been so “busy” with these wonderful things (some less so) that I haven’t spent much time reflecting on my life’s purpose and meaning. I’ve been so in the weeds––sometimes literally––that I haven’t zoomed out to see the bigger picture.
Meaning and purpose also come to mind as many influential people in my life are retiring. My mother retired and moved to Baton Rouge. My father is retiring this summer. A longtime mentor from high school Gary DeBlasio is retiring in September. Reid Bates, the director of the School of Leadership and HRD at LSU, is retiring after a long career in the department. And a group of influential people are retiring from my alma mater, Whitworth University, including one of my most cherished professors and mentors, Jerry Sittser. Recently, I watched the retirement celebration for Jerry on Youtube. [I haven’t been back to Whitworth in over 5 years, which I regret immensely, especially because I missed my brother’s time there. We were all planning to go out for his graduation last May before COVID hit but never made it. Oh, how I wish I could have gone – met his friends, played frisbee together, eaten at his favorite restaurants… So unfortunate.]
As these exemplars of integrity, magnanimity, academic excellence, and societal impact retire, I wonder if I am living out the example they’ve set for me. While philosophically, intellectually, and personally I’m in a very different place than I was as an undergraduate at Whitworth, I wonder if I am using my skills, talents, and gifts in a way that honors the lives and legacies of those who have directly and indirectly invested in me. Am I taking time to reflect and reorient? Have I allowed myself to become too busy? More and more I see how life is an act of becoming, a set of changing seasons, and process of emergence. For now, I’m hoping to make a habit of reflecting more each day on my life and direction to honor those who have come before me, invest in those around me, and journey into the unknown.
Onward.
Oliver S. Crocco 
Like a relay race, the baton has been passed and your lead runners are finishing their race. You are well trained, Dr. Crocco and ready to impress another generation. But remember their values and hopes in handing you that baton and run with abandon. Your friend and fan.
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