SPOP in 3 stages

I

First, imagine crowd surfing: hands awkwardly placed under your should blades, ankles, calves, head, upper back, lower back, and accidentally your butt. You are floating in the air, eyes closed and being pushed side to side scared you will fall but trusting that people won't drop you. SPOP is like crowd surfing, people awkwardly touching parts of you that you might not have been so ready to be touched. Coming toes to toes to share secrets, touching your ears with voices ricocheting off all these other voices, your shoulders to cry on, your arm's embrace, your minds' open doors, your hearts' worries. We didn't know someone could lift us up in such intimate places, yet we trusted the hands reaching out to us, the strangers who became close. We are close because we share a common love for the same music, the beta waves that help us meditate on our purpose. SPOP is like crowd surfing.

II

Now imagine that there are no more hands holding you up. No, you don't fall. You levitate on the sweaty air of summer's passings. You levitate on the feel-good moments of highs. And you bob like a buoy in water. Imagine buoyancy. It is not empty space, not less density. In fact, it is the lightness of our being that keeps us up. The surrounding air is filled with light. I believe I am light. I believe you are light. So post-SPOP it may seem like there are no hands around to carry you, but hopefully you believe in the lightness within yourself to carry you.

III

Lastly, imagine you are invisible. You are still floating and can see everything. Sheer will keeps you afloat, and suddenly there is a breeze. You are as light as a breeze. This breeze will move you beyond UCI, circulate around the globe, catch you in the sails of exploration, and ask you to lift others when they are feeling heavy. Remember that the world is heavy and the incoming freshmen want to fly, so be the wind that guides them in their exploration.