The UPS adventure

So, here's something to think about. Have you ever felt so lonely even when you're surrounded by all your friends? Have you felt empty because you felt like something is missing? I think everybody experiences that at some point in their lives. Well here's some encouragement. I have a story that may help this or it may put it into some perspective for you. So at the beginner of the semester, I rented my textbooks from the online website Chegg, which I recommend all college students doing because it's extremely cheap compared to most bookstores. Anyways, at the end of the semester, I have to ship my books back to Chegg through UPS. One of the things that Chegg does for you is they tell you where the nearest UPS is to your address. Well today I  made a trip to UPS to ship my books, but it turns out Chegg gave me the wrong address. On my way over to the UPS store, I just happened to see a UPS truck so I parked my car thinking that was where the UPS store was. Well I walked to the UPS truck and asked the driver where the UPS store was. He then proceeds to tell me that the nearest UPS is a few miles away. Needless to stay I was a little frustrated with Chegg. Well lucky for me, Chegg offers prepaid labeling so I already had the books packed and ready to ship off. The driver notices this and offers to take the box for me since it's already to go! Holy cow, this guy saved me from driving halfway across town to the UPS store. So you may be asking, how does this apply to feeling lonely or empty. Well here you go! This is UPS driver was in the right spot at the right time for me. If you have ever felt empty or lonely, you've probably had this happen to you. Right when you needed it the most, somebody unexpectedly came into you life right when you needed it the most. This person could be a family member, a significant other, a teacher, etc. Somehow that empty spot is filled inside of us. I think at some point in our life, we are all screaming out to just be heard. We feel like we are screaming but no one hears us. We are yelling at the top of our lungs, but no one hears us. We just want to be heard. For college students this is challenging because all day long we have all this information poured into our brains. After a while, you just want to be heard out. If it's still not clear how the UPS driver plays into this story, I'll say it one more time. This driver was in the right spot at the time. We all have the opportunity to be that for somebody else that we may come in contact with. Every day is a mystery and everyday we have the opportunities to be the "UPS driver". We all want to be heard. No one wants to feel insignificant and unimportant. They just want somebody who will hear them out and won't judge them for believing in what they believe or standing up for what they believe to be true. If you already have that person in your life, then count your blessings and realize how lucky you are to have that person in your life. If you're searching for that person, keep your eyes open and expect the unexpected. And know that all of us have the opportunity to be that person for somebody else. One friendship may not change the whole world, but it will change that person's world.

"Eye" see you

So today I was walking thru campus and I passed by a student who has lost his eye sight. In order to walk, he has to use a walking stick that guides his every step. He is unable to see everything going around him. Every day, he knows that he probably has people looking at him but he is unable to see it or anything going around him. This really got me thinking about something we all take for granted, our vision. Can you imagine what your life would be look like if you had no vision? You would be unable to see everything going on around you. You would have to rely on all your other senses to make it each day. How often do you take a moment to just sit down and look at everything going on around you. For those of you reading this who live in boulder, have you ever taken a moment to just look at all the beauty you are surrounded by. One thing about boulder is that is in a valley so we are surrounded by the majestic mountains and loundscape that is right in our backyard. Every day we get to wake up to the beauty surrounded by us. This student has lost his vision is unable to see all this beauty around him. We get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of life around us that we forget to take a few moments to just stop and take it all in. For those of you who have seen the movie The Avatar, you know that the way the characters greet each other in this movie is by saying "I see you." Well of course they see each other, but what the heck does this mean. They see beyond the surface of each other. They see into each other. They see beyond the surface. In reality, they are not saying " I see you", they are saying, " I know you" I know your hopes, your desires, your passions and everything that makes you who you are. Everyday we have the opportunity to know someone. Not just what's on the surface, but what makes them who they are. Every person you come into contact with has a story. A story that has scars, passions, hopes, triumphs, and moments that make them into the person they are. No matter what that story involves, it truly is a beautiful story even if it involves a horrific series of events. A question that always comes up in a discussion with a follower of God is why does God allow so many evil things to happen in our lives. We lose family members, we see people being murdered, raped, and assaulted. We see horrible events going on around us like tornados, hurricanes, psunami's, earthquakes, and so many other evil things. I don't have the answers. I have no idea why so many people have to go thru so many horrific events in their lives. It does not make sense and it just does not seem fair at all. What I do know though is that we all have scars that have made us into the person we are. Some people allow those scars to change them for the worse and other take those scars and use them to create a stronger person. I'm not saying it's easy all at. It is one the most difficult things to do. Each of us have the opportunity to earn the trust of a person who is going thru these horrific events. We have the opportunity to walk through these events with each other and we have the chance to change a person's scars into a part of who they are for the better. So my encouragement to you is just take a moment each day to stop and look at what is happening around you. Take the moment to take in every aspect of your life, the good and the bad. Use these opportunities to become a better person. We are all on a journey and I can hope that this journey leads you to a life of hope and joy.