Savage Words: ‘A ship is safe in its harbor, but that’s not what it’s built for’

By: 
Tom A. Savage, Contributing writer

I might write about my daughter too much. Some are no doubt sick of me doting on her.

But, if we can’t be proud of our own children, what are we doing?

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was asked during World War II by his cabinet to consider cutting arts funding to support the war effort. His reply: “Then what are we fighting for?”

I think of that quote often when I squirm in my chair, contemplating whether or not I should put more pen to paper about Isabella. In the end, I hope she looks back at all of these columns when she’s older, long after I’m gone, and cherishes them then as much as I enjoy writing them now.

She just got back from Cuba this week. Nothing says kicking off the new year like hanging out with our closest logistical communists. But the travel bug has hooked her, and she’s taken full advantage at the moment.

She was in Cuba as part of a program at Augustana University. She received college credit, although by talking to her most days while she was hanging out on the beach as the temps in South Dakota were doing their darnedest to get above zero, I wonder if it wasn’t all just a big boondoggle down there.

Still, it’s pretty cool. I felt like my career took me to different points all around the globe. But compared to her first 20 years on earth, I can’t compete. She’s been to a lot of places.

She wants to be a travel journalist. I think she’s got a shot.

Now that she’s back from Cuba, I get some time with her. But she’ll only be around for just a few weeks before heading to Tokyo for four months as her second semester has her studying in Japan.

She’s studying at JF Oberlin University in Tokyo and is enrolled in four classes: Japanese Language, Japanese History, Japanese Literature, and Intercultural Communications.

I told her I understood the first three, but I have no idea what Intercultural Communications means.

“Neither do I,” she said. “But I’m going to find out.”

I love that about her. Fear, it seems, hasn’t crept in quite yet. When I went to USF more than 35 years ago, I worried about a dumb photography class. For her, it’s a shrug and an “I’ll figure it out” attitude when she heads to class 6,000 miles away in March.

Whenever I try and drill things down a little bit, and try to understand what it is she’s accomplishing at this point in her life, I get similar answers.

“It’s a world view experience,” is what she said to me the last time I talked to her about it. “Actually, no matter what you do, how good does it look to show how traveled and cultured you are? This is what I want to do. You worry too much, dad.”

Probably. I toss and turn at night when I think about it. I worry about her, heading all over the world…by herself. Seriously, by herself. She went to South Korea last summer without anyone from Augustana accompanying her. She’s doing the same thing in a little over a month when she heads to Japan. 

It doesn’t seem to faze her. Safe to say, it fazes her mom and I.

But I gain a little more confidence every time she travels. Everything goes smoothly, and she bounces around these foreign countries like I used to in my childhood neighborhood on the east side of Sioux Falls.

I’m also reminded that this is likely – maybe – what successful people do. I think? I’m not sure, but I keep telling myself that.

I sometimes need outside assurance, and I often get it without even looking.

At the Brandon Valley Alumni Day at the high school in late December, I covered the event for the Journal. I saw English teacher and head football coach Matt Christensen talking to a pair of recent BV grads when they were walking out of the gymnasium as the alumni event ended.

It was twins Harry and Henry Heiberger. The two were back for the holidays from MIT in Cambridge where they both are working on their Master’s in software engineering.

Most of the interaction I’ve had with Christensen has been on the football field where he’s directing 300-pound linemen. The Heiberger twins don’t weigh that much combined, soaking wet.

But Christensen stopped them both.

“You guys are champs,” he said. “I’m proud of you. You’re great role models. We’re in the Midwest, but it’s possible to go far and do much.”

When he said that, it hit me hard in the gut. He’s right, and I’m proud of Isabella.

When she was getting set to graduate from high school two years ago, I was having a tough time. I knew South Dakota wasn’t going to hold her for long.

I had a friend comfort me with another line, and I’ve never forgotten it. I think of it often, and no doubt it’ll hit me hard when I see her board her plane for Japan.

“A ship is safe in its harbor,” my friend told me. “But that’s not what it’s built for.”

Go fly, kid. Go fly. 

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