Be the change you want to see in the world -Mahatma Gandhi
To discover who we really are we have to look back to our childhood. When we are young we are at our most pure and honest state of mind. The world and society have not had too much influence on us and so we are who we really are.
I must have been about 7-years old. I'm not sure if we were still living with my grandparents or just going there every day after school for dinner. I had made friends with a group of boys that would play together after school or after dinner and lived right down the street. I made my way down there just about everyday and played outside riding bikes, basketball, or whatever else they were doing.
On this particular day as I skipped down the street about two houses down from my grandparents, I saw about three of them in a circle laughing as they were fascinated with something on the ground. Just when I got close enough to see what was going on, my heart broke. There was a turtle with its shell mutilated while they kicked it around on the pavement like a soccer ball. There was no hope in saving it. All I could do was speak my mind and tell them how awful they were for what they were doing before I ran back to my grandparents in tears. I think I even tried to convince my mom to go tell their parents what they were doing. And so that would be the end of my afternoon rendezvous with the neighborhood kids. I would be perfectly content making mud pies on cement stones behind my grandparents garage using my imagination to discover a better world alone.
And so what does this all mean. Well that story and many more from my childhood prove to be the reasons why I am who I am today. I love everybody in the world and pass no judgement. My heart sinks to the ground every time I see people struggle with life, death, and pain. I want to listen, help, and support them in every way that I can. I want to make a difference. I truly heart the world (turtles too).
No comments:
Post a Comment