The content of this website is mine alone and does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Government, the Peace Corps, or the Malawi Government.
In response to today’s daily prompt, our writing challenge for Bloganuary, I’d like to tell you how I’m changing the world.
When I think of changing the world, I like to view it as adding meaning, joy, kindness, hope, and love to this world. Whether large or small scale projects or daily interactions, I’d like to say I’m helping to make an impact and leaving a legacy.
Rather than setting a lofty, overly-committed, overzealous goal, an unattainable feat that no one can ever fully achieve without being labeled a particular way or without criticism, hypocrisy, falling short, or speculation, I enjoy working big in small ways, a bit behind the scenes. So you won’t hear me share too much about the details and the nature of the projects themselves, just the occasional inspirational pieces here and there.
I try to look beyond the extremes of both sides of coin which range from not doing anything at all to the examples we see in the news that start with high emotional appeal that’s short-lived and turn out to be utterly ridiculous.
I ask myself, where do I fit into the spectrum on the things I’m most passionate about and what is my path to get there? How am I doing with my journey on Earth? How is my faith, the very core of my being, a reflection of that?
I’ve had the opportunity to participate in numerous humanitarian projects throughout my life, both locally and overseas. When I reflect upon my volunteer experiences as a whole, I’m reminded of the projects themselves and the interactions I had with the loveliest, most genuine of people. These certainly could be viewed as a way of changing the world in the most positive way.
However service has also changed me as a person.
It has sharpened my worldview and taught me patience, frugality, to worry less, what it means to be present, and how I’ve come to embrace a more focused, less distracted, simpler way of life.
That someday I will definitely raise my own chickens and grow a much more varietal, robust garden.
Maybe contribute to the building of a community garden where it’s needed most.
I’ve also learned that kids are kids everywhere.
And that service truly never stops.
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest form of appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”
John F. Kennedy
