~:[CH15 - Day 25]:~ When the Fog Clears

 
~:[CH15 - Day 25]:~ When the Fog Clears

I think one of the things with traveling with high school students is when you notice what they don't see. I think even as adults, we are blinded by various things that don't allow us to see exactly what we are doing or how we are impacting others. I always try my best to make sure these trips end well, but also approach it with a laissez-faire approach, having them address their own issues. It's always interesting to see how things turn out and whether they solve their issues or not. I thought long and hard about a message I would want to send them and this is what I originally thought up. "Even if you don't end up working at the UN, you still can contribute towards changing the world. You can work a little harder, you can speak a little bit louder, and you can be a little more kind, doing you part to make the path on which you travel a little brighter. You may not be able to influence countries, but it doesn't mean you can't change lives. Think about how your actions impact others and do your best to think about each decision along your journey.. What can you do better? How can you make the world brighter? We live in a world that can occasionally be chaotic, so each of you needs to be the calm within that storm. Be reasonable, be diplomatic, but also be sure you are heard. Within the chaos, you will often face obstacles, but instead of thinking of these as setbacks, thing of them as opportunities to learn and to grow, becoming stronger with each obstacle you must face. Whether you listen more to a friend, lending a helping hand to someone in need, or give an extra effort along this journey, you're making progress towards doing your part to change this world" I ended up revising the message a little as I went on to talk about how these experiences will help them in the future, but more importantly, to help guide them through this fog that is high school, so they can see the bigger picture and realize that all these smaller things that seem so important now (in high school) pale in comparison to what's ahead. At the end of the day, they'll have to decide their path, their actions will decide how things progress, and their final destination will be determined by a series of decision along the way, but at least I can be there to temporarily help fan the fog away, so they can see from just a moment. I think for all of us we can ask that question, when the fog clears amidst all this chaos, where will we find ourselves?