My Corner of the World

Now and then I need to step back and reevaluate why I do what do.
In everything.

The latter part of 2013 brought moments of contemplation for me that really led me to slow down
Breathe deeply
And focus on what was directly in front of me.

Sometimes I get so consumed in the big picture,
My desire to make an impact on the world,
That I forget that the world is right in front of me-
In the faces of the ones who are my world.

So, I stepped back.
Reassessed.
And took a break from my daydreams of world changing.

I daydream about travelling to exotic lands to
Hold in my arms orphan babies
Touch the lined faces of women whose language I do not speak
View the smiles of aged men who've walked paths I've never seen
Scale mountains I've only seen in pictures
Gaze upon a sunrise knowing my homeland tucks in for the night.

I may never get to do these things.

But what I do get to experience can take my breath away
If I will only let it.

My one-foot-in-childhood/one-foot-in-adolescence daughter begging to read Dr. Seuss to me at bedtime.
My man-child asking me ALL of the questions, grown-up questions, late into the night on Christmas Eve.
Mealtime at the table.
Bike riding and hiking.
Disciplining as my children grow into young adults.
Witnessing the student overcoming fear and speaking with confidence.
Listening to the young man jabber on in my office about his own dreams to change the world.
Watching young people exit my classroom with skills and confidence to take on their dreams.

Each of us is a world-changer.

It begins

Today.

Now.

Change the world right where you stand.

And if we all change the corner of the world in which we live,
The whole world changes.