Learning Part 4

            This semester I joined a fraternity and for the most part have loved almost every experience I have had.  Part of my duties in this fraternity is to complete community service hours. In high school I completed various community service activities through my baseball team, ASB, and key club. However, last year I slacked on my community service and really only contributed through my time with Best Buddies. This year I decided to volunteer through Kinderfrogs and my life has changed.

            I have always enjoyed helping others, but there was something with these children that just being in their presence made me truly happy. This year has been beyond stressful and at times overwhelming. When I go to volunteer at Kinderfrogs, my mind is at peace. No matter what one has going on, there is always a way to put your life in perspective.

            Each and every time I volunteer at Kinderfrogs I find myself learning something new. Whether it is about the students, myself, or life in general, I learn. I used to play baseball with this kid who had a lack of oxygen at birth and as a result could not think or behave as those of us fortunate enough to be born in a normal fashion. To my point, every time I went to practice I learned something. He would make comments that I simply would never think about. Whether it involved our game, the weather, or public event, I would find myself always contemplating at what he said.

            Now at Kinderfrogs the contemplation exists, but in a different way. I remember last time I went I was helping these two girls play basketball. As they were shooting baskets, it was difficult because the hoop was much taller in comparison to their bodies, the two girls began talking about life. Eventually, one girl said to the other, “Let’s talk about that tomorrow, we have better stuff to talk about today.” I couldn’t believe what I had heard. When I was a kid all I wanted to do was play. Run around, play sports, solve puzzles. These two girls were literally planning their next day. The thought of that would have been so above my head at that age that I started to laugh in disbelief. The guy next to me couldn’t believe it as we began talking about how crazy what we just witnessed was. The girls continued playing and their conversation changed just as they planned.

            The point I am trying to make is that this simplest events or actions in life can tell you more about life than you originally think. Whatever one is doing, no matter the circumstance, there is always someone that can make you feel better. Whether or not the help is intentional or not is irrelevant because in the end, happiness is what matters.  I find this applicable to my semester because I have been extremely busy and have lacked spare time.  The class I thought for sure I would have an A in is currently killing me and my GPA, My work hours have been miserable and sometimes I find it impossible to find peace in my own dorm.  But at the end of the day, I have perspective and know that these externalities are only temporary.

            This year I have learned perspective. Thanks to Kinderfrogs and the overwhelming amount of work I have received from my classes, I have learned that having no time is not necessarily a problem. Yes there activities I would rather complete than studying, class and work, but in the end, every action I do has a reason. Whether it is to help out others or myself, I live my life to provide society with some benefit. This semester I learned that no matter how down, stressed, or busy one can get, there is always a reason to be at peace.

            This semester I joined a fraternity and for the most part have loved almost every experience I have had.  Part of my duties in this fraternity is to complete community service hours. In high school I completed various community service activities through my baseball team, ASB, and key club. However, last year I slacked on my community service and really only contributed through my time with Best Buddies. This year I decided to volunteer through Kinderfrogs and my life has changed.

            I have always enjoyed helping others, but there was something with these children that just being in their presence made me truly happy. This year has been beyond stressful and at times overwhelming. When I go to volunteer at Kinderfrogs, my mind is at peace. No matter what one has going on, there is always a way to put your life in perspective.

            Each and every time I volunteer at Kinderfrogs I find myself learning something new. Whether it is about the students, myself, or life in general, I learn. I used to play baseball with this kid who had a lack of oxygen at birth and as a result could not think or behave as those of us fortunate enough to be born in a normal fashion. To my point, every time I went to practice I learned something. He would make comments that I simply would never think about. Whether it involved our game, the weather, or public event, I would find myself always contemplating at what he said.

            Now at Kinderfrogs the contemplation exists, but in a different way. I remember last time I went I was helping these two girls play basketball. As they were shooting baskets, it was difficult because the hoop was much taller in comparison to their bodies, the two girls began talking about life. Eventually, one girl said to the other, “Let’s talk about that tomorrow, we have better stuff to talk about today.” I couldn’t believe what I had heard. When I was a kid all I wanted to do was play. Run around, play sports, solve puzzles. These two girls were literally planning their next day. The thought of that would have been so above my head at that age that I started to laugh in disbelief. The guy next to me couldn’t believe it as we began talking about how crazy what we just witnessed was. The girls continued playing and their conversation changed just as they planned.

            The point I am trying to make is that this simplest events or actions in life can tell you more about life than you originally think. Whatever one is doing, no matter the circumstance, there is always someone that can make you feel better. Whether or not the help is intentional or not is irrelevant because in the end, happiness is what matters.  I find this applicable to my semester because I have been extremely busy and have lacked spare time.  The class I thought for sure I would have an A in is currently killing me and my GPA, My work hours have been miserable and sometimes I find it impossible to find peace in my own dorm.  But at the end of the day, I have perspective and know that these externalities are only temporary.

            This year I have learned perspective. Thanks to Kinderfrogs and the overwhelming amount of work I have received from my classes, I have learned that having no time is not necessarily a problem. Yes there activities I would rather complete than studying, class and work, but in the end, every action I do has a reason. Whether it is to help out others or myself, I live my life to provide society with some benefit. This semester I learned that no matter how down, stressed, or busy one can get, there is always a reason to be at peace.