Master's Degree 1995 Writing Assessment

Writing Proficiency Test January 28, 1995

CSUB/UDWCE/Topic 1 (In order to graduate with my fifth year teaching credential and my Master's this is the essay I had to write proficiently. This picture is of my beloved Grandpa and Grandma on top of the World Trade Center, circa 1978/1979.) Goodman's analysis of America's efficiency problem is as "close to the mark" as one might get. In the long run, our lives will not be judged by the minutes that we saved, but by the time that we spent. When we remember a special person in our lives, inevitably, it is the good "times" that come rushing back to our thoughts--times that were made memorable by just being with that person. Often, I think about my grandfather, who has since passed away. If ever there was a person who epitomized the word friendship, it was he. Every one of his grandchildren he gave a special name. He was patient, kind, loving, funny, and positively infectious to be around. We all clamored for his attention, and somehow he was able to make none of us feel slighted. When he was among us, everything was always "okay." Upon reflection, this notion of time seemed to be the key to my grandfather success. No matter what he did (He was a "sometimes farmer," "sometimes rancher," "sometimes mechanic," "sometimes retired rose gardener," your typical jack of all trades.), everything he ever accomplished, he managed it with the loving hand of time. Oh, you could not rush him! He took pride in his work, in his family, even in his rose bed, when he was made to retire for health reasons. He had the most beautiful roses in town! But they were only a mirror of how he chose to live his life. Ultimately, I believe that we, the human race, must choose how we are going to spend our time. Of course, we have to work to make a living; we have to shop and drive and eat and exercise, etc. but if we concern ourselves solely with how efficiently we do these things, we have truly forgotten what is most important. We cannot substitute rewards for relationships, fun for family or friends, work for a job well done. If we choose wisely, then we will understand that the product is what counts, not the process, the quality, not the quantity. And in yet, nearly 20 years later, after rereading my essay that I had to pass to finish my master's degree at California State University Bakersfield, I believe time is changed my perspective a smidge. The end result is the ultimate quest; however, the path that leads us there is equally important. It took losing all of my grandparents and my husband to heaven to come to this conclusion, but that's another story. So my concluding paragraph will be new, with my updated perspective on life, since loss of my one true love and best friend, a beautiful Bret Wayne Trone. Fortunately, I have had the leisure to add or take away from my schedule as my family's needs have demanded. Since my husband has always had a good job, I did not have to work, persay. Once I started college a few years ago, things changed a bit. So I had to figure out new ways to get more done in less time. Probably the biggest timesaver for me has been my time spent driving every day. I commute from Tehachapi to Bakersfield to attend college, so I decided to use that time to work on most of my ideas for class assignments, etc. Another way I've used my commute time is by using it for singing practice. My kids and I sing together frequently, and we pop in a tape while were driving and work on our individual parts. We also talk a lot in the car, about life, about things we see around us, about our day, and we read books. The time that we spend in our little Geo Metro has become nearly sacred, because it isn't just spent for efficiency--it has become such an important part of our lives that it has turned into an investment. Unless we choose to invest our time in the things that are long-lasting, in the things that make a difference, in the things that really matter, and get over this idea of "budgeting our time" away, like a company budgets its money, we will find our lives empty of meaning. People, the people we work with, live with, live next door to, grew up with: our colleagues are families our neighbors are friends, are who truly count! If we trade this fact for some fictional, budgeted, efficient worldly view of "quality time;" alas, we are most pitiful of all people. In conclusion, my abridged version would change only in this regard. We've all heard that the end justifies the means, and yet that can be scrupulous, calculating, heady to the detriment of all those around us. I would counter with this; the means justifies the end. How we live our lives, how we treat others, how we spend our time, how we invest ourselves, how we enjoy the moments, how we cherish our relationships--you get the gist of where this is going--will make the difference in the finished product, whether it be with our spouse, or children, our other family, a work project, a game, an essay, a play, or whatever we are seeking to accomplish well. There are those that say the end of the journey is most important, and there are those that say the journey itself is the utmost thing. But I say, balance is the key, and things you see and hear and speak and do along the way, if done with all your heart, will lead you to the finish that you've been seeking all along, which is making a difference. We all want to know what our purpose is in life, don't we? Although it may be impossible to live with this type of passion 24/7, it is possible to choose others first and foremost the majority of your life, and this is how you change the world.