E + P = O….Especially during a Pandemic!

My nephew (who is also my Godchild) had a dream which was to attend the University of Wisconsin – Madison.  Ever since he was a young boy, he wanted to be a Badger.  That dream became a reality and on May 9th, he graduated from Madison – but definitely not how he imagined it to be. 

And this is where the Jon Gordon formula of E + P = O comes in. 

E = Event:   We had planned for months to make this day a celebration.  Hotel rooms were booked and plans made for the day.  Then COVID-19 hit.  The state issued a “Safer at Home” order, and the University cancelled the graduation ceremony.  Everything Michael had dreamed of and planned for came to an abrupt stop.  There would be no ceremony in Camp Randall Stadium which would be filled with thousands of graduates and their families.  There would be no final singing of “Varsity” as a student.  There would be no fighting the crowds to have pictures taken with Old Abe or on the steps of the Capital.  COVID-19 crashed one of the events that is a highlight in life and a rite of passage.

P = Perception:   My sister wanted to make this day memorable for her son.  She, along with the rest of our family, wanted to celebrate all that Michael had accomplished from being a Badger – including a study aboard term in London, working for the UW Athletic Department as a videographer for the football team and an internship in the Governor’s Office.  So we did.  We gathered as a family and watched the virtual graduation ceremony with Michael in his cap and gown.  When his degree was conferred, he moved his tassel surrounded by the people who love and support him. 

O = Outcome:  It may not have been what his dream graduation from Madison was, but it was an amazing day filled with love, laughter and tears.  We sang “Varsity”, toasted with champagne and celebrated what was to come.  He did get to walk campus and visit the places he wanted and the pictures are amazing.  We got to be together as a family, to share in this milestone event.

What can we learn from this?  We can’t control events around us, just our reaction to them.  How we react will have a definite impact on the outcome.   We can choose to be negative or we can choose to see the positive.  I say be positive.  Look for the blessings around you and in the end, you will have the outcome you set out to have.

To Michael – I love you to the moon and back and ON WISCONSIN!