Without the Soundtrack
The music swells, the weather experiences a
sudden change, and they start to run.
Somebody yells out, “Go get ‘em son!”
We all recognize this point in a movie when we know everything is about
to work out in the character’s favor.
But the things that are turning points in our life are rarely huge
climatic moments like in the movies.
They don’t happen with an awesome soundtrack of compelling music, in the
middle of a thunderstorm, or require us to jump on a plane at the last
minute. Now although I do wish my life
had a soundtrack, or maybe even a running commentary, it just doesn’t work that
way.
Most of the moments I can recall that have
caused me to view life differently, change how I think, or even how I act, have
been small moments. To anyone else, they
would seem trivial. But to me, they have shaped the path of my life. Several of those moments have helped me
realize something I would like to share with you. As you read, think of the moments and events
that have shaped you, no matter how big or small- something someone said to you
that you will never forget, when someone went out of their way to do something
for you, when you took notice of something in a different way that has changed
how you think about things. Whatever has
impacted you, think about how it has changed your life and how you can let it
continue to do so.
Karli is the first person who introduced me to
this idea. I have known Karli since I
was in the first grade. While most of us
were working at the pool or on someone’s farm for the summer, Karli left the
country. It started out with a mission
trip to Costa Rica our freshman year. Lots
of our classmates thought this was ridiculous. She would have to raise tons of
money. And what difference could Karli,
just a girl we’d grown up with, make in someone’s life? But Karli did it. She then proceeded to go on more mission
trips throughout high school, to Chicago, Peru, Romania, and Ethiopia. Karli didn’t have to spend her time every
summer eating peanut butter and jelly everyday in places with no plumbing. But she did, because she knew what she would
experience those summers was more valuable than what she could get by sleeping
in and making trips to the pool.
Another person who lived this idea in my life
is Jennie Weltmer. Jennie was my cross
country coach my senior year. I first
met Jennie when she married Simeon, a family friend. Soon after they were married, Jennie toured
in Afghanistan while Simeon was in med school.
Jennie has been through so much in her life. By no means was she required to serve time in
the military. After what Jennie has been
through, anyone would say she has done more than her part.
The last group of people who have inspired me
were students and faculty at my high school.
After the disaster in Haiti, several individuals were talking at lunch
and decided that they wanted to do something.
These girls approached out FFA and FCCLA advisors with the idea that our
school and community hold an event to benefit the Haiti relief effort. After some brainstorming, they came up with
the idea of having a chili feed at one of our basketball games. This may seem like a non-event. Meals are held at ball games all the
time. But this one was different. It wasn’t to raise money for prom or help a
club raise their funds. This was seeing
that people needed help, and responding the best way they knew how. These students created something that
involved the entire community.
Each of these individuals has demonstrated what
it is to serve in a big way. We all know
that we can help others by trying to brighten their day, helping with
concession stands at the ball game, or signing up for an hour time slot with
our chapter’s service project. But we
can also help others in big ways. We can
be the one that sees a need and fills it.
It is important to serve in the little ways we can. But we shouldn’t be afraid of serving in big
ways too. We are all extremely blessed
to have the ability and the means to make a huge difference. We should not let the fact that it is scary
to do something big stop us.
Yes, it might be a big commitment, it might not
go as planned, we might miss out on some things we wanted to do. But the experiences we gain in return will be
the most worthwhile memories we ever make. We should not doubt just how far we can go if
we want to make a difference. It
requires us to do something we aren’t quite sure how to, to give up our time,
to take a risk. But that fear we have is
actually a good thing. It proves what
we are doing is worth it.
This is just one area of my life I have been
inspired in. We are influenced everyday
by the people around us. They can change
our attitude and maybe even change the course of our life. Not all these people are big parts of my
life, but they left an impact on me. We
can have that impact on others too.
Those people that influenced me probably didn’t wake up in the morning
with the idea that they were going to change someone’s life that day. But what they are doing is waking up every morning realizing that
life is not a solo flight. If we invest
in others, we can impact them this same way.
We don’t have a soundtrack of background music
to tell us when we are about to experience something that changes our life. These moments will come from learning from
each other and happen everyday. I have
learned from others that serving in big ways is something I am capable of,
something we are all capable of. What
have you learned from those moments when something is highlighted for you, when
something happens that you continue to think of, years later? Take what you have noticed and apply it in
your life. It keeps running through your
brain for a reason.
"Never doubt that a small group of
thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing
that ever has."
-Margaret Mead
