Selfish, Impatient, and a little Insecure...

I haven't posted in a long time. Mostly because nothing exciting has happened. Don't get me wrong, living here is still a blast. But for a while I haven't done anything that I felt like was worth posting. I have been reflecting on things I have learned while I have been here though. Aside from the obvious, there have been many small lessons I have learned in between the big ones. First of all, if you are having a bad day, the best way to remedy this is service. Even though I experience the corruption every day, and every day something bad happens, I see so much beauty and service outside the walls of the government buildings. For example, people offering their seat on a crowded metro to a pregnant woman or an old man. People dropping change into a homeless man's paper cup. People holding the door open for others or bonding as they wait for an inevitably late and slow metro. People like this are worth knowing. Acts of service like this are worth doing. The smallest thing can change someone's day. Yesterday I was on my way home from work. It had been a good day. A guy sat down next to me, and all he said was "Hello!" and smiled. It took a simple gesture like this to change my day from good to great. He didn't know what I was going through. I could've been dealing with something really difficult, and the fact that he took the time to say hello meant a lot. I know service works because I put it to the test without really even knowing. Last week, I was on my way to the grocery store. The sun was down and it was raining. I had my umbrella with me (the one I bought after losing my first one on the metro). I noticed an old man standing at the corner, waiting to cross the street. He didn't look homeless or poor, but he was quite wet. Without even thinking I offered my umbrella to him. He gratefully accepted it. As I continued my walk to the store, I momentarily regretted it. Now I was getting soaked, and I didn't have enough cash with me to buy a new umbrella at the store. I felt dumb because he wasn't homeless or anything, and he probably didn't need it. On my way back however, I thought of all those people who always like to be in the rain. I thought," Why do I care about getting wet so much? It isn't even cold. I just need to let the rain wash all my stress away." After I stopped caring, I was able to enjoy life. I was able to enjoy the fact that I was walking down a street in Washington DC in the rain with no umbrella and a gallon of milk in my hand. (I go through milk so fast it is ridiculous...all that cereal!) Anyway, the lesson I have learned from all of this: Enjoy the small things in life. Do service for others. If you aren't happy in your current job or life situation, it is because you are choosing to be unhappy. Do service and recognize the simple blessings, and your life will change. Guarantee.
"We must learn to be happy by choice because we will seldom have the opportunity to be happy by circumstance."-Lavetta Sue Wegmen