When I chose to take some time away from Facebook and other social media outlets eight days ago, I wasn’t sure why I was doing it. All I knew was that sensory overload was setting in and all signs screamed at me to take a step back. It’s amazing what you can discover about the world around you in one week if you just shut up and listen. Even more amazing is what you stand to rediscover about yourself.
I learned that we as a society obsess over the indiscretions and failures of those we elevate to godlike status because it is far easier than looking at ourselves in the mirror. It is far too easy to sit in front of the television and watch whore #20 dish about sleeping with a sports star when what we really should be doing is putting down the ice cream, getting off the sofa and focusing on ourselves and those we love.
That’s the first lesson I learned over this past week – If I am living my life to the fullest, that’s all the reality I need.
I shun so-called reality television and those shows that turn negativity into a ratings booster. Further, there is longer room in my life for people who thrive on negativity and are perpetually in victim mode.
There was another recurring theme over these few days as well, and one that hit painfully close to home for me – children. In times past I would lament over how desperately I want to be a parent and how time is running out. That was the past. This week I have had the gift of seeing things through the eyes of others.
- Someone in my own neighborhood suggesting that juvenile offenders in our area might benefit from a mentor over an ankle bracelet. One simple statement that could have such a broad and far-reaching impact, changing people for good. In response to a juvenile crime report, this person said “I wish I could give him a mentor for Christmas.” Wow.
- The most recent episode of the ABC show “Extreme Makeover Home Edition”, in which an elderly woman who was herself a victim of child abuse and neglect vowed to never let a child in her area feel unloved. The wheelchair-bound woman cried not because she was getting a new home and would soon be able to close the bathroom door when she went in, she cried because – in her words – the youth development program that she started would not die when she does. The largest part of this woman’s home was inaccessible to her for upwards of 20 years due to her condition but she managed to cook meals for as many as 300-400 people who may have not had a meal otherwise.
- A local charity called The Agape Center works with the disadvantaged right here in my backyard. I wasn’t even aware of what they do until recently.
That’s the second lesson I learned this week – If I want to see change in my lifetime, I will help the next generation to be better than I am.
I was reminded that I once lived my life by this lesson. From the neighbor who mentioned mentoring to the Agape Center asking for mentoring volunteers, even a new friend whose life work is devoted to working with the youth in his church. These people came into my life to teach me and to remind me of lessons learned and when I took a week and simply listened, I became a pretty damned good student.
