Change the World

Lost

2009-10-07T06:48:00.000-07:00

I work in an environment where I am in constant contact with people who have diseases such as memory loss, dimentia and alzheimer's. I have often wondered how that would feel to have such diseases.
Last Saturday a friend and I were at Wal Mart and we noticed a group of people standing around a woman who seemed distressed. We went over to see if we could assist in any way and we found out that this woman had driven her car to wal mart and then, while inside collapsed. After she collapsed, she was found walking around the parking lot not sure where she lived or who she was. She just kept saying she wanted to find her way home. My friend and I didn't know what to do but get her comfortable. As I put my hand on her back to help her sit down, she was soaked through a sweater and a coat. Her whole body was clammy and I knew something had to be wrong medically. So I looked through her purse and found an insulin machine. I then realized she was diabetic and needed some medical attention quickly. I tested her blood sugar and it was very low. The police arrived and he had a sucker in his car that he gave her until the ambulance arrived. As my friend and I were walking back into the store, tears came to our eyes as we thought of how scary that would feel to lose your sense of self. I felt so awful for this poor woman. I was really glad I was there to help. It's experiences like that that help me remember how lucky I am to have all I have.

Trying

2009-09-03T06:55:00.000-07:00

I was watching the US Open the other night and Andre Aggasi said "If we say we care, we must do." I have put some thought into this as I have worked on my cumbersome challenge to change the world this week. How many times do we feel sympathy for someone and feel the need to send them a card or give them a call and then life gets in the way and weeks go by and the idea is long forgotten? This happens far too often in my life.
Back in June, I was at the gym and started up a conversation with an interesting man. He told me he was the founder of a non profit organization involving orphanages in Peru and Colombia. He was going to Peru in August and needed a few more people to attend the expedition. Now normally I am not the adventurous type. I have only been as far as Cancun, Mexico. However, there was something about the thought of this trip to Peru that struck my interest. I couldn't stop thinking about it. I wanted to do something to help these kids at the orphanage he had spoken so much about. So a few days later, I called this man and let him know that my friend Connie and I really wanted to be involved in this cause. It has been two weeks since I have been back from Peru and sometimes tears come to my eyes just thinking about my experiences there. The kids were amazing, the people were so humble, and the group I was with was filled with extraordinary people. Although we were few in numbers, our help was genuinely needed. These kids had very little. Some had never seen shoes on their feet until they found the orphanage. Most had only known hunger and starvation, so much that they would hide food under their beds out of habit. And yet, these were the happiest group of children I have ever seen. Rarely did we see arguing or here the words "It's mine!" I never heard a word of complaint, unless it was for us to come play with them instead of working on the orphanage. It really put things into perspective for me. How do we define happiness? It's not by what we have, but what we do. And if we say we care, we must do. This was the inspiration for this blog. It was the experience I had of going to Peru and doing for others what they could not do for themselves.
Yesterday, I was leaving work in a hurry after a seemingly long day, and as I was getting in my car I noticed a woman trying to get her car started. She had a portable jump box but it didn't seem to be working. At first I thought, "She'll be fine. It will start." But then I stopped myself, walked over and asked her if she needed help. She said her box wasn't working and she needed a jump. So, ten minutes later, I was on my way and the woman was able to start her car and go home as well. It's amazing how something so small makes such a big difference. I mean, had I not stopped, she probably would have had to find a phone, call and wait for someone to come help her out or give her a ride. But ten minutes out of my day probably saved a couple hours out of hers.

Never Thought This Would Be Me

2009-08-29T16:59:00.000-07:00

Blogging. I didn't even know what a blog was until a few months ago. In fact, I was interviewing someone for a job and on his resume under the category Interests, he put "blogging". Needless to say, he didn't get the job, not because of his excitement about blogging but because his other interests included playing playstation and dog walking.
Most people have blogs to let others know what is going on in their lives. They write about their daily activities, their interests, and ideas. However, I wanted to put a different spin on it. I didn't want to write about me. My life is not interesting enough to have that much to talk about. I want to write about society and what I can do to contrubute to it. I have been searching for this answer for quite some time. What can I do to make a difference? This is the challenge and the goal of my blogging. If people read this, all I can hope is that it will in some way better my readers and help them to want to contribute something to the world for the better also.

Starting now, I am going to have the goal of changing the world for the better. This blog will be my way of reporting my progress. It may not be much more than listening to a stranger tell me his story or opening the door for someone who couldn't get it for themselves. But as my dad always said "It's the little things that count." So here's to change...