My freshman year of college began with something rather interesting. At the time, the college I attended was on a strange class schedule which started the year with, as I recall, a four-week intensive period during which you took only one class. My freshman year was the last year they had that schedule. I always sort of regretted that because, particularly for freshman, it was a neat indoctrination to college.

The class I took during that four-week time period was called "Shock of the New". It was specially designed for students who graduated high in their high school classes. By some Act of God, that amazingly included me.

The class was taught by Mary Ann Sullivan. Mary Ann was, well, "hip," if you're old enough to know what that means. Prone to stylish clothes and a way of talking which would capture a room's attention and hold it, Mary Ann stood out from many of the other profs on campus. Not that we didn't have a lot of good profs on campus but she definitely stood out. You have to know Mary Ann to really understand that.

In fact, when we graduated four years later, my class chose Mary Ann as one of our commencement speakers. I think that the campaign to have her speak was led by those of us who had taken Shock of the New. The graduation quote included in the "About Me" section at the left side of my blog? Courtesy of Mary Ann.

In The Shock of the New, we studied literature and art that was a little bit edgy. Not your mainstream stuff. I suppose that, for some in our class, it seemed a little bit too edgy in contrast to our upbringings. But, by and large, I think it was exactly what most of us were craving as college freshmen away from home for the first time. And Mary Ann was the perfect person to deliver it.

We had to read a number of books during the course of the class. We also has to do research into a particular author. I chose John Gardner.

One of the books we read was "The Armies of the Night" by Norman Mailer. As we all know, Mailer passed away yesterday. This book was probably the first thing I'd ever read which sort of told me that maybe it was okay to question what our government does. That, in fact, a little questioning was essential to successful societies.

It was the only Mailer book I have ever read though I know I have read a few articles by him as well.

A famous quote attributed to Mailer is "Every moment of one's existence, one is growing into more or retreating into less." Not only does that, interestingly enough, coordinate well with Mary Ann's words to my graduation class, but it so defines Mailer's life. He tended to charge headfirst into things: controversy, protest, support for those he believed in, relationships, marriage. But that was how he lived. Shoot first and ask questions later, if you will.

This reminds me of just how much of a journey life is. We have to respond to opportunities to make a difference. Will we make mistakes? Sure, that is part of the journey as well. But we learn from mistakes and we keep charging ahead. The good outweighs the bad in a life well lived.