Greetings, good people!
As I cross the finish line of Round 3 of chemo (in humble and groundless uncertainty of what's to come), I wanted to celebrate this moment of graduation by sharing a video of the commencement address that I offered to the graduating class of 2021 at the high school where I've taught for the last three years, Quest Forward Academy in Santa Rosa, CA.
When I gave this speech at the ceremony in June, I was in a great deal of back pain, and I didn't know why. Less than a week later, I would be admitted to the local emergency room, where I would learn through a CT scan of the testicular cancer recurrence I've been battling and dancing with ever since.
The theme of the speech is finding our wings by jumping into the abyss.
Any teachers out there ever notice that we often end up teaching exactly what we need to learn?
I hope you enjoy the video!
As always, feel free to share :D
Peaceful blessings,
Nils
PS. Today also happens to be the first day of school at QFA, where my amazing colleagues are holding it down during my leave of absence. While I'm expecting some modest disability payments to kick in soon, your support for my healing fundraiser has been a real game-changer in helping me to cover medical costs and make ends meet through my recovery. Thank you!
