University of Dayton - MyLife

The first one-way plane ticket I've ever booked...

A pretty monumental thing just happened: I booked my one-way flight to Phoenix! This finally makes it feel real...especially because it's a one way ticket! But as the summer is already halfway over for me, I am getting excited and anxious about the upcoming transition to a completely different lifestyle. I still have so many questions and I am so curious as to what to expect, but I also know that I am up for the challenge. Whenever I am asked by others what my post-graduation plans are, explaining this service program is always difficult to describe in the way I'd like to. It's a mouthful for me to say, "Oh, I am doing a year of non-profit service work where I live with homeless pregnant women." In one sentence, that is the best way to describe it, yet it doesn't really show what I'll actually be doing, and every time I try and explain it, it becomes one of those, "you just have to be there" moments. Having the opportunity to spend five days in Phoenix learning about Maggie's Place was the perfect way for me to truly experience it in a way that words cannot describe. There are many things that make me excited about moving to Phoenix, but I think the aspect that gets me most excited about it is the change in lifestyle I will experience. No longer will I be living in the way I choose to live. My four years of college were amazing and necessary in helping me grow, but eventually I realized that it can be quite a self-centered lifestyle. In a way, this is necessary because college is ultimately about educating yourself for the future. Regardless of how many volunteer hours you put in or leadership positions you take on, the main goal is receiving an education for yourself so that you can eventually go out there and change the world. As much as I loved those four years and the independent lifestyle I was able to have, I am excited for a complete change of pace. At Maggie's Place, living for yourself isn't really an option. Everything you do is for the good of the community. It'll be a year where I am primarily focused on helping others and making a difference before anything else. Ultimately, this is the kind of lifestyle I would like to live at every moment in my life, but it's much easier said than done of course, so having Maggie's Place to help encourage this lifestyle will be necessary. Ghandi once said, "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." Ever since I decided that a year of service was where I was headed after graduation, I keep this quote in mind whenever I think about how difficult some of the things I'll be doing for the next year will be. The past 21 years of my life I have focused on myself... I am now ready to focus on others.

Jun 8, 2009 1:12 PM Permalink