Vern - A Hero's Journey

Some people sit in the comfort and safety of mediocrity, never really living life to the fullest, and some people take the hero's journey through the worst, scariest, and ultimately the best, of what life has to offer. At least, that's how the expert on mythology, Joseph Campbell, explains it. The reason that Campbell is read by so many is not that he knows so much about gods of our past, but because he knows that mythology is really the story of the best of us - the hero.

 I was thinking about the "hero" in all of us when I heard about the passing of a dear friend, Vern.  Vern was that very hero - a man who stood up to all the dragons that ever came his way. Vern was a man as brave as anyone you might ever meet. And yes, Vern was a super hero. He had the strength to hold his family together through tough and strange times. He overcame more in a lifetime than most couch potatoes could ever comprehend. He was a man who had slain many dragons (and even a few turtles). And he did it all with grace and an amazing laugh that I can hear in my head right now. What a laugh he had!

And he had some amazing stories! I can think of one he told me about sitting around the table as a kid listening to Hank Williams on the radio - and buddy you better not say a word or BAM! - his dad would knock you on the head for talking. Man, how his dad loved Hank Williams.

Just a couple of months ago, Vern did something that would have amazed his dad. Vern arranged a private concert at his house with Hank III playing. He commented on the circle of life that concert was for him - how his family and Hank Williams' family were bound to come together - after all those years. And he told Hank III that at the end of the night - when the two of them were walking together down a dark driveway on Vern's property - Hank III a tall, lanky figure next to Vern, in socks, no shoes.

And that night was so special in many other ways for Vern. He was with the woman he loved, Jamie. Just a few weeks later, Vern would propose to her. After she said yes, Vern told me that he was so happy and proud.  He said that he had found "The One." He also told me that he had actually gone to her father to ask for her hand - like a hero. And he told me that he wanted to have kids with her - soon. My heart is breaking for Jamie right now because I know she has lost her hero.

We all have lost a hero. You see, Vern leaves behind more than his fiance Jamie, his sisters, his niece, his grand-niece, numerous friends and family members, his dogs Pete and Pete Jr.; Vern leaves behind a legacy - the legacy of a hero - one that will not soon be forgotten. I believe that Vern would want us to know that it is bravery that makes life satisfying. It is in his example of living - of being the hero of his own life - where we see that magic really happens. What we do with our lives, with the all the bad stuff (and the good) is what makes us heroes. And I thank Vern for being a shining example of that.

(Me and Vern at Vern's house on the night of the Hank III show.)

New Project Ideas

A new semester has started and I'm already thinking of projects that inform and improve my teaching. The first project will deal with my basic writing classes at Nashville State. I would like to actually rethink the way we are teaching remedial courses from refreshers to being ESL based. I'll have details later after I do some initial research, but I am starting to feel that we need to redo the course as if it is a NEW language altogether. The second project will be based on using Skype for student-teacher conferences at MTSU. I feel that students are more comfortable with video chat than actual human interaction - especially when it comes to communicating with a teacher. Of course, I'll start with a little research before I continue.