I wish I had more time. I wish I could do more.
Every year I make a list of things I want to accomplish: learn Spanish, learn Italian, learn to read music and to play piano, guitar, and/or violin, volunteer at the animal shelter.
The only thing I actually completed last year was the volunteering at the animal shelter, but when I went home for the summer, I became consumed with work and have yet to begin volunteer work again. After watching Extreme Makeover Home Edition (which always makes me cry) I'm feeling motivated again and realized that there is so much that needs to be done and so many people (and things and places) that need to be helped.
I look at my life and sometimes get down and feel like I am at a disatvantage. Compared to some, I supposed I am, but there are many people who have so much less than me. Not only are there people who need assistance, the world is in need of a facelift. Our population is exploding, we are overconsuming everything, especially in the United States, and the majority of people don't even realize that we have a problem.
I have written before about the need for our world to change. I wish that everyone on Earth could go to bed and wake up with an epiphany. We need to reduce our consumption to sustain the planet, we need to love our neighbors and learn how to get along, and we need to be aware of our surroundings and how to preserve them and improve them to increase the quality of life for everyone on the planet.
I probably sound totally cliche, but it's the truth! Think about it! As soon as I've readjusted to work and school, I plan to go back to volunteering. I am also helping to pioneer the Recycling Club here at IU which I am extremely excited about. Over the summer, I made about 30 fleece blankets that I will be donating to a children's hospital during the holiday season, I knit scarves that go to a homeless shelter, and I collect stuffed animals for Toys for Tots. These are all simple little things that do make a difference in some people's lives. As for the environment, I bought myself a bike that I used all summer to get to work and to babysitting jobs. I only had to fill up my gas-tank two times during 4 months (not only did this help the environment, it save me a TON on money!). My apartment building does not recycle, so I collect my recyclable items and bring them into campus to a building that has recycling facilities at least once a week. Am I doing enough?
No... but it's a start!
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Rock on! I completely admire all that you are doing for others.
I head a volunteer program at a hospital, and my hardest task is to get these kids inspired. Most, if not all, of these volunteers work for community service hours, or for a good extracurricular activity to put on their college applications. I share your dream for an epiphany, in which these volunteers (and everyone else in the world, for that matter) wake up and truly want to make a difference.
Wow, you are totally amazing. You're actually doing things instead of calling for change and then waiting. I commend you. We should all be working so hard for change!
"They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself."
--Andy Warhol
This is a bit random, but I've studied Italian for two years and it is not too difficult to pick up. Try listening to Italian music or watching Italian movies, and take a free online course (I think about.com has them).
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ce.apocryphalpublishing.com
Thank you for the info about Italian! I've been trying to rearrange my schedule to allow me to take an intro Italian and an intro Spanish class, but they are 4 credits each and with a major and 3 minors it's been pretty difficult! I'll check out the about.com course when I'm done with class today!