[nagdu] All Done

Mon May 17 16:05:08 UTC 2010

wtg congratulations.

Cheryl Echevarria
Independent Travel Consultant
C10-10646

http://Echevarriatravel.com
1-866-580-5574

http://blog.echevarriatravel.com
Reservations at echevarriatravel.com
Affiliated as an Independent Contractor with Montrose Travel CST-1018299-10

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Meghan Whalen" <mewhalen at gmail.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, May 17, 2010 11:55 AM
Subject: [nagdu] All Done

> Yesterday, May 16 2010, I graduated.  For the first time in 19 years, I am 
> not a student.  I feel very strange, and I feel a little detached from 
> reality right now.
>
> The ceremony started at 10:00 AM yesterday morning.  About an hour before 
> hand, I asked one of the martials if she could show me the path we would 
> walk up to and across the stage.  There were footprints on the stage where 
> we were supposed to stop to have our pictures taken, and I was easily able 
> to feel them underfoot.  I showed them to Kirby and patterned her to pause 
> there for a moment.  After leaving the stage, we had to pause once again 
> for a final foto with our deploma folders, then it was back to our seats. 
> I walked the path twice, and the second time, Kirby stopped perfectly for 
> all the little footprints for the fotos.  What an amazingly smart little 
> girl!
>
> The ceremony started with plenty of important folks trying to inspire us 
> to be awesome, and of course to be sure to come back and visit...
>
> Once the students actually started walking across the stage, I got a 
> little bit nervous.  I was in the front row on the far right, and I 
> thought I would be first.  I was relieved to find out that my section was 
> the last of three to go up and walk.  As 1500 graduates slowly walked past 
> Kirby, she didn't move an inch.  We were seated in very small folding 
> chairs, so they had taken two out of the front row so that Kirby would 
> have room since she couldn't fit under my chair.  The martial for our row 
> kept checking in with me to keep me posted on how close it was to our turn 
> to walk, and he complemented me on my "sweet little dog who never batted 
> an eye as so many graduates walked right past her nose."
>
> More than once, classmates and friends leapt out of the procession to dash 
> over and give me a hurried hug and congradulations.  This meant worlds to 
> me, as I wasn't sure I was leaving this campus having formed many enduring 
> relationships.  Even when I was charged and hugged by friends, Kirby 
> didn't move or lift her head.
>
> Suddenly, I heard, "Okay graduates, on the count of three, stand up and 
> we'll begin walking up to the stage..."
>
> On the count of three, I stood, and Kirby waited for my word for her to 
> stand, too.  We had been up and down singing the National Anthom and the 
> like, and she wanted to be sure this was a time she really should stand, 
> as I had reminded her to rest the other times I had stood up.  With a snap 
> of my fingers, she was on her feet and at my side.  She nudged my right 
> hand once with her sweet little shepherd nose, gave me a lick and fell 
> perfectly into step in the line.  Up the ramp we went, and I handed off my 
> photo order form.  a little further up, and they flicked my tassel over to 
> show I was a graduate.  Further still up the ramp, and as I was about to 
> step onto the stage, I handed off my slip with my name written out so they 
> could read it off, and so smoothly, Kirby and I stepped onto the stage 
> together.  I was slightly concerned that she would want to breeze across 
> the stage and blow past the students ahead of me, but she ambled along at 
> graduation pace, and paused perfectly on the footprints for our photo.  As 
> she paused, I reached out my right hand and shook hands with the dean of 
> students.  I kept Kirby's leash around my left wrist, dropped her harness 
> and took my deploma folder.  Hastily tucking the folder under my right 
> arm, I picked up the harness handle, and with a discrete forward gesture 
> of my right hand, we continued slowly across the stage.  Each time I 
> stopped to shake a hand, Kirby paused perfectly and patiently as I was 
> congradulated, and as soon as we dropped hands, she began her slow 
> progress across the stage once more, always remembering to give me time to 
> shake hands with the next person, and the next...
>
> Upon exiting the stage, she picked up her pace on the ramp, and I was 
> worried she would zip right past the other spot we had to pause for fotos, 
> but, she stopped on a dime.  The sensation was no less precise then when 
> she stops suddenly for a traffic check as an unexpected car comes lurching 
> out of a driveway.  I was grinning in pleasure at my graduation and my 
> dog's brilliance as they took my last foto.
>
> As soon as the fotos were done, Kirby guided me confidently back to our 
> seat in a sea of 1500, rested her head on the seat until I found it and 
> then stood back to give me room to sit.  Once I was seated, she calmly 
> walked up to me and rested her head on my knee.  I swear she was telling 
> me, "Look Meg, we made it. Look how far we have come together."
>
> The day couldn't have gone more smoothly.  The martials and other folks at 
> the ceremony were helpful in all of the right ways, but nothing they did 
> made it look like I needed help crossing the stage, because I didn't. 
> They were just great at communicating with me..."This is where you hand in 
> your foto slip, we're just moving your tassel over like we do for each 
> student, here's where you turn in your name slip, congradulations, here's 
> my hand, you'd better come back, we don't want to lose you..."
>
> The only thing Kirby has disliked about college has been exiting lecture 
> halls with the large crowds.  I have usually waited a few minutes for the 
> crowds to thin out before leaving.  Yesterday, as the ceremony concluded, 
> I promised her this was our last giant lecture hall we had to leave. 
> Typically, she would get a little bit anxious and pant a bit, but 
> yesterday, she was so perfect pausing when the crowd was too thick, 
> finding the little spaces to zip us through and picking up the pace as we 
> approached the stairs to exit.  It was like she told herself she could do 
> it if she wasn't going to have to do it again.
>
> Together, we reached the top of the stairs and waited for my family.  I 
> was covered in hugs and congradulations, and Kirby patiently sat at my 
> side.  "I know it, my Meghan is great, isn't she?"  She leaned over and 
> licked my hand, and I scratched behind those velvity silken ears.
>
> We have done it.  For three of the four years of my college career, she 
> has been at my side.  She has slept through classes, so I hope she 
> forgives me for not having her name called in the graduation ceremony. 
> She is the only girl on the UW-campus who was applauded for her amazing 
> ability to sleep through class, and the only one who made the professors 
> smile when she let out an extensive groan right in the middle of a test.
>
> Our next chapter is just beginning, but wherever we go, I am delighted to 
> know that Kirby will be there for my first years learning what it is like 
> to be a real adult!
>
> Meghan with Kirby
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