Giving Back: Vision Boards

If you think your life is hard, there is probably someone out there who has it worse. Looking back on my life and growing up, I definitely had my struggles but I know that my life has been easy in comparison to others. I do have to say one of the toughest parts of my life was going through my teenage wears. Not only do you go through bodily changes they can help you blend in or make you stand out, you struggle with identity, wanting to test boundaries, making and losing friends. I couldn't image dealing with all that and not living in a consistent home or experiencing abuse or trauma. I think that's one of the reasons why I volunteered at the Heartfelt event at the Maryvale, residential facilely for girls ages 6-17, was because I was blessed to grow up in a sheltered and loving environment and not everyone else was. What was nice about this event is that we got to pass out items that the girls needed such as school supplies while helping them with a project that allowed them to dream and connect with themselves and one another. We created vision boards that the girls could put on the front cover of their notebooks,acting as a constant reminder through out the year of their goals and dreams. The visions boards were a great project not only because of their purpose but it allowed the volunteers to connect with the girls, a middle ground of conversation . We helped them look for certain pictures and stickers to put on their boards and by doing so learned about their interests, their passions, hopes, and dreams. After the vision boards the girls and the volunteers had lunch together while listening to live music. During this time two very impactful things happened to me. One, the volunteers were flooded with thank yous from the girls. The girls were so grateful for our presence. They appreciated someone being there and treating them well. And isn't that what we all want, to be treated well and loved. The second thing that happened was I ran into a girl sitting by herself. She was upset over a confrontation she had earlier and found a quiet stop to be by herself. I sat down next to her and listened to her vent. I admired her for finding her space to calm down, and although I couldn't solve her problem she was grateful to have someone listen to listen to her, simply listen. If you read all this I challenge you to do at least one of two things. One give someone your time. Whether it is someone you know or a stranger spending time with someone can make a difference in their life. Second, take the time to simply listen to someone. If you know someone is frustrated or going through a hard time reach out to them and simply tell them you are hear to listen. You never know what kind of seed your kindness will plant, and how much that seed will go.

Self Reflection

I'm not a very passive person. When there is a problem I want to solve it, when something is broken I want to fix it. And there is probably some reason or some major event in my childhood that caused me to be this way but I am who I am. Continuing on I never liked the phrase " let things come to you". You don't follow your dreams you chase after them. If you want something you work for it, if you want to change you make it. Very strong statements that I fully and completely agree with but I am learning it doesn't have to be this way all the time. Now I am not or I am not completely obsessive in my frame of thinking. I don't need to fix every problem, answer every question. I think I am the way I am because I like the feeling of completeness. I don't like the feeling of not knowing why or how. But as uncomfortable as it make me feel I am learning that it is okay to be in this sort of state of wonder, and to let the unanswered questions resonate within me until I slowly find the answer. I think this was one of those lessons that God has been trying to teach me. Unfortunately, not everything is received on the first try. But I'm learning to simply say " it's okay." It's okay to let things be how they are, it's okay if things don't go the way I want them to, it's okay if I can't do anything right away because maybe someday I will. It's okay to make mistakes even though i don't like the feeling of knowing I did something wrong. It's okay to take a risk, because no matter what happens I know how to recover. and most importantly IT'S OKAY TO LET MYSELF BE VULNERABLE. I recently was shown a TED talk at a conference I went to and how a women did a study and that showed that happiest people are ones that are with being vulnerable. I'm not okay with it, but i'm learning to be. Not to worry about what will happen and focus on what is happening. I'm happy now even if it causes me pain later. And it's okay to be that there are many things i am not. Because who I am is good enough. ( it is a work in progress, I say it so that one day I will believe it.)