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| Some of my beautiful family...laughing...as usual... |
Really? An elephant buried on Ohio State's campus? I feel like people would have made a bigger deal out of this before now. We have some sweet history here at OSU, but an elephant really makes it. I'll let you check out the links below and decide for yourself if an elephant is truly buried on West Campus. I plan on making that my first question next semester when I start my History of OSU class. Yes, I am taking History of OSU and yes, it does count for credit. I love my school. (PS- The Mirror Lake Jump is tonight. To say I am stoked is an understatement.)
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| My favorite elephant picture. He's got the right idea. Underneath a waterfall in sunshine. Nothing like a cold lake in November. |
This article says the myth was confirmed in 2009.
http://www.ohiostatealumni.org/media/Pages/ABCsofOhioState.aspx
This tells the story of how the elephant got here:
http://library.osu.edu/projects/anniversaries/questions.htm
So, how do all of these dead elephant shenanigans turn into anything meaningful? I had the same question and really expected nothing to come from that conversation. To my surprise, I kept thinking about it and realized that I know where an elephant is buried. In fact, I know where multiple elephants are buried and that, my friends, is in each one of us. This goofy question about an elephant on-campus holds some serious meaning to me now. Regardless of the truth behind the Ohio State myth, I think it is fair to ask...where are the elephants buried in you?
There's that saying, "There's an elephant in the room." Well, what if there is an elephant in your heart? I think we all have one of those. One of the reasons I love people so much is because of their depth. There are so many levels and layers to people. One of my favorite things to do is just sit down and talk with people, ask them about their life, learn their story. Everyone has a story. Something has brought you to where you are today. There are stories within your story. I am all about sitting down with people, especially those I don't know, and just talking for hours. I have learned so much that way.
Sometimes I feel like people are afraid to tell their story and afraid to listen to the stories of others. Digging up elephants (literally and metaphorically) is challenging. Who knows where the elephant on West Campus is buried. By now the grass has surely grown back, buildings have been built and parking lots paved over the burial site. It is the same with people. We bury something deep inside of us and build on top of it. Sometimes we build as a means to move on, sometimes we just want to cover up the past and forget about it and, other times, our elephants help us to grow. What have you built on top of your elephants? Can you easily dig them back up? Are they easy to find? Do you even remember where you put them?
I have found the value in asking questions and truly wanting to know the answer. Sometimes you have to help people dig. The simple question of "How are you?" usually has a much deeper answer than "Fine." Do not be afraid to have a conversation. Some of my greatest life lessons have been learned through people I have only met once and will never meet again, simply by asking a question. Get someone going and they will talk for hours. Okay, maybe that's just me...Just dig deeper. You never know what you may find.
Much Love,
Steph
P.S.- Thank you BA family for providing me with the inspiration for this blog. :) You guys rock!
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