“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”- Anne Frank

A Video I Can Get Behind

This video embodies what I think life should be like. Can you imagine what life would be like if we helped one another out more?

Short on Time

As one may notice, I have not kept up with this as much as I had hoped. I am going to try to do more. A very wise friend of mine recommended that I just write a little each day (Thanks Scott).  I figured another thing I can do is send out positive vibes by putting great quotes on here (another thing Scott does on his facebook wall often. I am definitely honored to have a wonderful person on this journey of optimism).  Here goes the first one.

Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present.

                                -------- Jim Rohn

Amazing!

These girls are awesome!

To me there is nothing more inspirational than people who have dreams, hopes and wishes. People that refuse to accept the "norm" or what society thinks of them and what they are capable of.

The video in the link above is something that I am completely amazed by. These are girls that want to go to school more than anything. They realize it is a gift and privilege, not a right. They refuse to allow tradition or other people to hold them back. In  many cases they may be putting themselves in danger, but the ultimate prize is worth it.

Being a teacher I love to see when people want to learn, want to better themselves. I love it more when people overcome the many obstacles in their life to reach their goals. The reasons for doing so are innumerable, but by each of these girls joining the fight they are changing the world, and that is my number one goal.  I not only applaud these girls, but I applaud anyone that supports them and helps them realize their potential.  I am a firm believer of the old adage, "It takes a village to raise a child."  Kudos to all, and I hope that many more follow suit.

The Future is Brighter Than the Present

I am a big  history nerd, and have often wished I lived in other time periods. I have running jokes with my friends about this. I am realizing though, the more I work with kids, that they are more than capable of creating a world that will be better than the one we live in.

I am lucky to be able to work with kids, and I love what I do. I teach in an urban setting, at a great school of K1 (pre-Kindergerten) through 8th graders. Previously, I worked in a K-6 setting in another urban area.

Kids know how to make one's day, often without even trying.  They know how to lighten the mood when someone is tense. This week I covered for a kindergarten teacher, a class I spend two hours of every day with on a regular basis, and really enjoyed it, as I always do. On the most stressful day I can remember, where a lot was going on, a medical emergency took place of a staff member, and trying to help out in multiple ways, I was looking through the journals of the Kindergarten class. That day they were to draw and write about something that made them happy. One girl put in her journal that I made her happy, and it was the best feeling in the world. I tend to lose my voice a couple times a year, without fail, and it amazes me how the kids I have worked with seem to be on their best behavior at those times.  Not just with me, but with others. They sense that someone is not feeling well, and they don't take advantage of the situation.  These are among the hundreds of kids I have worked with over the past 6 years, and the ways that kids inspire me are innumerable. How often do adults say something, whether they mean it or not, so completely amazing when someone is in a stressful situation? How about on a normal day? Not many. I too am guilty of not doing this enough. Many adults that I know would gladly take advantage of someone when they are not feeling their best, but not many kids. Why is that? Maybe I have just been fortunate to work with amazing kids. These are kids though that much of society looks down on because of where they were born and their socioeconomic status. Yet they are more honorable than many adults in the world.

I do hope that I am able to see if the kids of today are able to build a better tomorrow. I think they can. I have more faith in the kids of today than the political leaders in office.  Is that a sad thing?

Amazed

I recently came across this story online, and was amazed at it. The story is sad, and the fact that this individual is a victim for so long after he recovered from his attack is sad. His attitude is what inspires me.

I was talking to a friend about how people get stuck focusing on their own lives, and not realizing that so many people are worse off.  This individual probably has the most valid reason to be down in the dumps about his life. No identity. No friends. No family. No job. Nothing.  Yet he keeps going, hoping things will change.

I don't want to use his name, because it is not his real name. Rather it is the name given by a hospital after he was found behind a dumpster near a Burger King. The hospital already had a John Doe, so they made up a name with the initials BK.

Six years after the brutal attack that almost left him dead, he still has little to hope for.  He was victimized again after his attack by the media, who only helped because they wanted the big story, but gave up after nobody came forward saying they knew the man. He could not get a job, check out books from the library, or even stay in a homeless shelter because he had no identification.  Yet he did not give up.  In the video he admits that he sometimes wishes he had died, but he still goes on living, and truly struggling. 

There are a few things that inspire me about this video.  I hope you will find something inspiring about it as well.

Life has a purpose

An example to strive for

Today's post is from an article in The Guardian from the United Kingdom. It embodies the kind of world we should all strive to live in.  It is about a family who for years did community service and helped others, and instilled the practice in their children. 

What I love about this article is that these people went out of their way to dedicate their time, not their money.  They were not well off.  They were not asked by any organization to volunteer.  They never expected acknowledgment.  They simply lived a life that included helping others.  Even after the matriarch of the family lost her sight, she helped to raise awareness about the condition. 

It may not be reasonable to expect people to volunteer EVERY day as these people did, but there are lessons we can all learn from them:

* Living a life of doing good can be anything that helps others.  This can be as simple as treating people respectfully no matter what. Saying hello to a stranger. Give compliments. Smile as you approach people walking.  Give spare change without judgment. Offer to carry someone's bag. Give up your seat on the bus/train.
* Sometimes what people remember most is not how much money they give but how much of themselves they give.
* Doing something because it is the right thing to do leads to a life of fulfillment. These people have countless stories of people they may have only encountered once. Memories of these experiences could have been relived when  shared with friends.
* It shows that good deeds and civility are contagious. Can you imagine a world where good deeds spread as rampant as rumors? It is possible. 

I hope the article sparks something in you like it did me.

This is an article that inspires me