Menz: ‘
60
Seconds of
Silence’ to remember
Boerne High School
Editor’s Note: The Boerne Star requested and received permission to bring you Boerne High School Valedictorian Aubrey Menz’ speech, delivered at Friday’s BHS graduation ceremony.
One of the greatest gifts I have ever received is the introduction to the life-changing, yet self-explanatory practice of taking “60 Seconds of Silence” for myself.
This exercise encompasses placing oneself in a com- fortable position, taking a deep breath and remaining silent for one whole minute to observe the surrounding world. There is a rejuvenating simplicity and reassurance in being focused on a single moment in this vast scope of life.
With this exercise, I can etch the sweetness of certain memories into my heart and mind, not with a photograph or physical memento, but, rather, with sights and smells and sounds. With emotion and intentionality.
My adoption of this technique has helped to preserve many moments in a senior year that felt as though it couldn’t possibly go by any faster.
If I took 60 seconds of silence at football games, I would watch the student section be encouraged to get a little bit rowdy, soon followed by Caleb Benchoff and Kenny Pulkinen riling up the stands with their exciting rollercoaster cheers. I made the likely wise decision of stepping aside at Winter Formal for my 60 seconds during the middle of the song “FE!N” by Travis Scott and watching all of the grades cohesively come together, mosh pit as one unit, and then proceed to mob the water stations afterward.
At Senior Service Day, my 60 seconds allowed me to testify to a sense of fulfillment in students who were given the opportunity to serve the community that ultimately invested in and raised us from our youth.
Although I have attempted to maintain small minutes throughout this year, so many other moments have been lost. Thinking too far forward for the next experience often left us longing for more time.
However, why should we wait to establish the value of a moment until it becomes a memory? What about the underestimated, inconspicuous present moment, the one we so often ignore? How do we make use of the invaluable, fleeting nature of “Now?”
Focus on the now and give people your time. Is it not the small, sometimes habitual, sometimes spontaneous interactions that have compounded our enjoyment of our time here at Boerne High School?
The future considerations that we are so heavily and frequently concentrated on are not the things that have shaped us. Instead, it was the discrete nature of the days that we never appreciated — the heart-to-hearts we shared with table mates when we were supposed to be cranking out our 50 notecards for Mr. Staples’ APUSH class.
Do you remember how special playing through the pouring rain at Powderpuff practice, to build team camaraderie, was? The beauty of life comes from the stillness and simplicity of the daily.
When we slow down, ground our feet, and take in the captivating world around us. If we look so far to the future, we might forget to appreciate and observe the current.
Presently, you are one of 314 Boerne Greyhounds sitting on a football field, likely eager and antsy to cross this stage and finally receive your diploma. With that action, you will be embarking on a journey entirely unique from that of who you are sitting next to.
However, the tracks that we set off on are not parallel, nor distant, nor landmarked with the vain and bitter nature of comparison. Rather, our lives will likely be intertwined. Maybe not physically, but through basic principles that were rooted and established in our hearts on this campus.
After we throw up our caps and rejoice on the field together, please find whoever made your life a little better or made you laugh a little harder, give them your present time and tell them of the mark that they have made on you.
With that, I thank you all for “your” time today.
I am eternally grateful for so many here. I would like to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for His protection, provision and guidance. Without Him, I can do nothing.
I would also like to thank my incredible family: Mom and dad, thank you for giving me your constant and unconditional love and for always believing in me and supporting me.
To my much older and much wiser siblings, thank you for being my mentors and best friends and for instilling in me the notion that I can never say the words “I can’t.”
Thank you, Mr. Wilson, administration and faculty for your wisdom, assistance and patience these past four years. A special shout out to Mrs. Bain and Mr. Jeffcoat for innately knowing when I needed a cup of coffee.
And lastly, from the bottom of my heart, thank you to my fellow graduates. It is impossible for me to express your importance and impact on my life.
Go Greyhounds, Congratulations to the Class of 2024, and God bless!
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