Expressing and interacting

I think there is something to say about having something to say, and saying it. Lost already?

Today I was given the opportunity to go to a round table meeting in Clearfield and talking about Venturing, what it's given me, and how it's beneficial for the youth to participate in. After a brief video about how high adventure programs can affect youth, I was introduced and given roughly 45 minutes to say whatever I wanted about venturing.

I taught them a little about how a venturing crew works, the different areas of awards, and some of the leadership opportunities available. I asked Annie and Taryn to say a bit of what venturing has done for them personally, and they both talked about the growth they've experienced and the fun they've had. Then I told these adults about why it's important to give youth leadership experiences, shared some of my feelings about the program, and asked that they give the opportunity to the youth they know. I then opened the meeting up for questions, and everyone had them. I appreciated the fact that they were relevant, well thought out questions. These people are the kind genuinely trying to make a difference.

I'm writing about this not just because the experience was fun, but because of how it affected me. I was able to communicate my ideas to this group of 'grown ups' as a peer. They listened to what I had to say and heard it. They considered my opinion and ideas as they would any other adult's. I was able to interact on a level playing field. This experience has somehow lightened a huge burden from me. Even though I wasn't speaking about any of the things I've been hold in, the very act of speaking was liberating.

I remember one day in class Jessica, our instructor, was working on me. Between the tightness in my jaw and solar plexus and how closed my third chakra was, she was a little afraid for me. I wasn't expressing myself. I was locking too much inside. I wasn't being heard. She advised me to find someone to talk to, or to write everything on a paper and burn it. My inability to express myself or to be understood was hurting me physically.

I firmly believe that, to a varying degree, people need people. Every person has certain innate needs, one of which is to be understood. In a way, the connections between persons is what gives them meaning. What good is an object if it never interacts with anything? What is light if nothing sees it?

In my favorite book, a fox tells the little prince that it is the time he has wasted for his rose that makes his rose so important. When he says goodbye to the roses, he tells them that they are beautiful but empty. His rose is special because she is his. It is the time wasted between them, the grumblings and complaints, the glass globes and the screens, that have made them important to each other.

I recently heard about a girl who died in a car accident. I felt sad that another life has ended, but it meant nothing to me. Liz and Tim passing, has effected me tremendously. Because of the shared secrets, the trips to Denny's, the idle dreams, and the car rides, they are important to me.

I don't mean to say that a life is meaningless if it doesn't touch another's; I only mean to stress the importance of our interactions and express my gratitude for my night's experience.