Last week, I saw a pretty good movie: “ The Man Who Knew Infinity”. In it, an unlikely mathematics prodigy from India gets accepted to Cambridge University in England. Upon touring the prestigious European school, he is so awestruck that he aimlessly wanders onto the grass of the central court (the picture above). Appalled, a nearby professor flaps his robe and screeches, “Keep off the grass! Only a Fellow may walk on the grass!” (In academia, a fellow is a member of a group of learned people who work together, as peers and collaborators, in the pursuit of greater knowledge or skill sets. Sound familiar?)
Anyway, I had never heard of this centuries-old tradition before, but it’s true: At Cambridge, only the most respected teachers have earned the privilege to walk diagonally across the court. (May not seem like much to us, but it's a serious matter to them.)
Well, as is often the case with interesting things I see or hear, I couldn‘t help but be struck by a similarity with my journey at EX: As a budding student here, I was in awe of the achievements I saw in the blogs, and I sooooo wanted to follow behind the elite scholars called Elders, who had earned their places “on the grass“.
I…wanted…it! For the first time in my smoked-up, relapse-tainted adult life, I wanted what they had!
And, I wasn’t blind; I saw the numbers: 400, 600, 800 days, 1,000! 3 years, 4 years, 8! Here was living proof that nothing enduring is built overnight. It was obvious that I, a new student, would have to be stronger than my past, more steadfast with my present, and more persistently focused on my better future. The Elders cautioned that earning milestone after milestone means tackling test after test after test, and passing…every…last…one of them. No shortcuts, no running from the truth, no hiding from challenges, and absolutely no forfeits allowed.
Now, I had no idea how much time it would take me to turn my priorities around, or what tests I’d face to get there. But, for the first time in my addicted decades, I was burning with a willingness to do it.
Willingness: The courage to say, “Not matter how long or steep my path, I…will…walk…it.”
Willingness: The curiosity to say, “I have no idea what I’m in for, but I…want…to…find…out.”
“Walking on the grass” around here is a privilege to be earned - no matter what it takes, or how long. But, isn’t it a blessing to see so many scholars here who have already proven that it’s possible?! Who have done the work, passed the tests, and won the right?! Who are so willing to teach you how to get there, too?!
What a wealth of inspiration here! What a treasure trove of skilled experience! Value these!
The possible is doable, and it’s proven here every single day. It’s real, it’s happening, and it can be yours, too! That "walk on the grass" awaits anyone who is willing to see it through and earn it!
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