Gabby_ A Story of Courage and Hope - Alison Hanson [72]
“Yeah, I’ll probably make some posters,” Claudia said.
“Posters are good,” Gabby told her. “But you should also figure out what bugs the kids.” She suggested that Claudia set herself up at a table during the lunch hour to interact with her fellow students. “They can tell you what’s on their minds, and you can talk about how you might help improve things.”
“I don’t know,” Claudia said.
“Think about it,” Gabby said. “It could really help you understand the kids at school. And once you’re president, you’ll be a better leader.”
Gabby was enthusiastic, brainstorming about speeches Claudia could give, and ways she could turn lunchtime at the League City Intermediate School cafeteria into a miniature Congress on Your Corner.
“I’m not sure I want to do that,” Claudia finally said. “I’ll probably just stick to the posters.”
Claudia saw Gabby’s political spirit, but it all seemed too much for middle school. In the end, Claudia decided not to even run.
Claudia and Claire understood that issues mattered to Gabby, but that could be annoying to them, too. As a conservationist, “Green Gabby” wasn’t happy when the girls stood for a while in front of the refrigerator with the door open, trying to decide what to eat. She’d playfully tell them, “You don’t need to keep the refrigerator door open that long.” They’d close the door and try to resist rolling their eyes.
But Gabby was very conscientious about her impact, and ours, on the planet. We’d even discuss with the kids the man-made devastation I’d observed from space. From my first shuttle mission in 2001 to my last mission in 2011, I clearly saw the deforestation in the Amazon. By my last trip, there were many more big blotches of nothing. Gabby understood how troubling this was, and couldn’t resist reminding the kids of how we all need to do our part to save the environment. She’d say, “Don’t throw that plastic bottle in the trash. It’ll sit in a landfill for a hundred thousand years!” Or: “If you’re leaving the room, turn off the light!”
Gabby was a stickler for other things, too. She didn’t like the girls putting their shoes on the couch, or up against the back of the front seat in the car. They didn’t like when she called them on it.
Gabby tried to be a positive influence for the girls, and sometimes she’d say things that got through to them. When Claudia was having trouble with a teacher and wanted to switch out of the class, Gabby told her, “All through your life, you’re going to find people you don’t like or who don’t like you. You just have to figure out a way to suck it up and deal with it.” Claudia found Gabby’s advice useful, and remained in the class.
Each year in mid-February, Gabby was always the first one looking ahead, asking, “What should the kids do this summer?” You could almost set your watch to the moment she’d start planning. She’d ask, “Should the girls go to camp? How about some sort of service organization? We need to figure out how they can have a productive summer.” Gabby suggested that Claudia consider a “wilderness” hiking expedition sponsored by the National Outdoor Leadership School. “You’ll learn a lot and it’ll be fun,” Gabby told her. “Just ask your dad.”
As an astronaut, I had gone on three trips with that organization. We spent several days backpacking while getting an education on expedition behavior, conflict resolution, and team building—stuff that’s important in space. Claudia did end up going twice on the teen version of that trip and she loved it.
Then, in the summer of 2010, Claudia went on a community service trip to Nicaragua, where she and other teens helped build retaining walls in poor villages. Claudia stayed with a villager and ten members of his extended family in a home with just three rooms and dirt floors. At night they’d sit around the kitchen table, under a lone light-bulb, peeling black beans to make meals for the next day. Claudia sat with them, peeling and listening. One night she’d have beans for dinner. The next night she’d have rice. Some nights, for variety, her hosts