"Whatever comes our way, whatever battle we have raging inside us, we always have a choice... It's the choices that make us who we are, and we can always choose to do what's right."
One of the greatest challenges in life is to do the right thing when no one is looking. Make quality choices. To do the right thing even if everyone around you isn't. Doing the right thing isn't always easy. Sometimes it involves more work, more risk, more courage.
True story: Keagan is involved in the High School Marching band. The band is large. There are close to one hundred kids in the band. With such a large band comes a lot of instruments, props, equipment, etc.. They practice hard every day. Now, Keagan plays the Tenor Sax. Technically, he's only responsible for putting away his own equipment. However, he has taken on a greater responsibility. The "Pit" consists of very heavy kettle drums and xylophone equipment. These are items that are too big and heavy for one person to manage. Also, most of the pit are young, small girls, who struggle moving the equipment on their own. So, he's taken on the job of helping put that equipment away. However, he's learning a good life lesson with this new responsibility he's taken on. There are very few others who decided to take this job on with him. This means that he is often the last band member to leave practice. Sometimes a good half hour after everyone else is gone. He has asked for help. No one volunteered. So, he started coming to the car and complaining afterwards. I let him vent for about a week about this. Finally, I told him that I was tired of hearing the complaints. That he had a decision to make. He could decide that he wasn't going to help, and just go back to being responsible for his own equipment. Or, he could decide to continue to help with the pit equipment. But either way, he was not to complain any more about his decision. No more placing blame on others. He chose to continue helping with the pit equipment because, and I quote, "The equipment is expensive, the pit is an important part of the band, and I am a part of the band and want us to succeed as a band."
I am proud of his decision. He chose to look beyond himself, beyond his own personal responsibilities, and to expand his role for the greater good of the band. Now, I'm not completely naive-- it probably helps that the pit mostly consists of girls. However, I will point out that he did the same thing last year and the pit had a few more boys in it. I'm also glad that the complaining and whining is no longer a part of our conversations about the band.
So I guess my challenge to you (and to myself) today is to do the right thing. Not only for yourself and your family. But step up and meet the needs you see in your community, help those around you. Look beyond yourself.
"We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It's easy to say, it's not my child, not my community, not my problem. Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes." Mr. Rogers
So, if you have a choice on who to be this week, make the right choice, be Spiderman :) Besides, he's the first one to bungee jump ever, and that's just cool.
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