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I come from a family with a history of changing seats— Church often included two pew choices before a final settlement and bleachers were always ascended and descended at sporting events. My grandmother was a seat changer and her grandmother, no doubt, was one before her.
Not that long ago I attended my daughter’s college graduation. Since this was a milestone in her life, I did not attend the event alone…Most people can instantly relate to the dynamic of the very significant question, at any event where there is NOT assigned seating, of “Where should we sit?” If you are 1 person, the answer is easy—wherever you want! But if you are wrangling people of different generations AND different households, the answer becomes much more complicated. All of a sudden “Can I see the stage?” becomes secondary to proximity to the bathrooms or the ability to enter and exit a row filled with ‘ants in their pants’ strangers.
Due to an eminent “sprinkle”, my daughter’s graduation was held inside what appeared to be a vast arena. However, with a long-standing tradition of OUTSIDE graduations, the school was not equipped with arena-type stage video displays, rendering any seat beyond row 25, with a virtually microscopic view. Since we did not arrive with 4 hours to spare, we decided on ‘way back’ seats which were relatively close to a bathroom exit and an aisle. After we all finally settled, my mother declared, quite matter-of-factly, “We are changing seats!” I’m not sure what prompted her sudden defiance toward our original choice, but I didn’t feel like arguing and promptly gathered my compliant entourage and we switched.
Our new seats resulted in two things: I now snagged the aisle seat and the aisle we now abutted, seemed much wider. As the time drew nearer to the start of the graduation, marked by the parade of graduates, my mother’s sudden declaration of a move became clear—although we were a football field back from the stage, the possibility that my daughter would be marching right by my side was real. And as the music started and the graduates’ caps became visible, I realized…no such luck! My daughter entered on the other side of the arena floor. However, the faculty and staff and teachers and guest speakers and key note speakers did not! They were going to march right by me! And as the president of the College began his long walk to the stage, he was halted, right next to me, where-in he promptly proceeded to engage me in conversation. He asked me who I was there for and what major my daughter was in. He asked me if she enjoyed her four years and who else was with me. I soon found myself introducing him to everyone. I even had the opportunity to say “Thank you.” Although he hadn’t been the one teaching my daughter or supporting her along the way, he was the one in charge of the culture of the institution that set her up for success.
I couldn’t help but feel that, somehow, someway, my mother had had an intuitive feeling, and moved us accordingly. After two hours of long winded speeches and hundreds and hundreds of other graduate names being called, the row escaping woman 6 seats down from me, walked directly in front of my waiting, ‘zoomed-in’ camera causing me to miss my daughter’s graduating moment across the stage. I knew then, that I simply just happened to come from a family of seat changers…
Kathy Naumann, possessor of NATURALLY curly hair and the understanding that you can’t control everything!
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