"But all other pleasures and possessions pale into nothingness before service which is rendered in a spirit of joy." - Ghandi
My companions and I have two weeks to fundraise about $2,ooo from local businesses in order to hold a youth camp, "Dejando Huellas", for about 50 youths in the Chiriquí province. I spent yesterday in Boquete, hitting up the local Rotary Club, Alcaldía and local supermarkets, and am in David today to finish up some similar tareas. There are few deadlines with this job, but this camp needs to be held before classes begin mid-March. It needs to happen, along with various other things that need to happen before mid-March, when not only classes begin, but I leave the country for a visit home. Deadlines naturally involve stress, something that I have been lucky not to experience for awhile, since the country goes on hold for the vacation months of November - February.
I reflect on this stress and wonder if it is taking away from the joy of my daily life. In essence, it is not, but there are other more significant traits that may take away from the "joy of service" that I strive for. Since my job is virtually self-directed, not only from day to day, but even to the extent of project selection, stress and lack of joy can only be blamed on myself. Stress can be a good thing, in moderation, since it is a good motivator. However, it is necessary to have a balance, or stress will start wearing on the mind, body and soul, which is bound to reflect outwardly on how one reacts to the world, and thus, how the world reacts to said individual. As of this moment, the stress is good, but I look back to life in the States and wonder if it is possible to keep such a balance.
Moving on, I have found that it is not stress, but pride that most negatively affects the "joy of service". Pride slows learning to the point of making true learning virtually impossible, and interferes with potential and current relationships. It can be a mask for insecurity. For someone involved in a service position, humility is absolutely necessary. I write these statments to remind myself of their validity. I look to the next few months as being productive, because my end date mid-July is looming. My number one goal is to lose the mask of pride and spend as much time as possible in my community. Now that the toughest periods of language acqusition, establishing myself in my community, adapting to a new culture and making new friends are over, I have the next few months to indulge in the joy of service, not without a little stress to get the projects done!
My companions and I have two weeks to fundraise about $2,ooo from local businesses in order to hold a youth camp, "Dejando Huellas", for about 50 youths in the Chiriquí province. I spent yesterday in Boquete, hitting up the local Rotary Club, Alcaldía and local supermarkets, and am in David today to finish up some similar tareas. There are few deadlines with this job, but this camp needs to be held before classes begin mid-March. It needs to happen, along with various other things that need to happen before mid-March, when not only classes begin, but I leave the country for a visit home. Deadlines naturally involve stress, something that I have been lucky not to experience for awhile, since the country goes on hold for the vacation months of November - February.
I reflect on this stress and wonder if it is taking away from the joy of my daily life. In essence, it is not, but there are other more significant traits that may take away from the "joy of service" that I strive for. Since my job is virtually self-directed, not only from day to day, but even to the extent of project selection, stress and lack of joy can only be blamed on myself. Stress can be a good thing, in moderation, since it is a good motivator. However, it is necessary to have a balance, or stress will start wearing on the mind, body and soul, which is bound to reflect outwardly on how one reacts to the world, and thus, how the world reacts to said individual. As of this moment, the stress is good, but I look back to life in the States and wonder if it is possible to keep such a balance.
Moving on, I have found that it is not stress, but pride that most negatively affects the "joy of service". Pride slows learning to the point of making true learning virtually impossible, and interferes with potential and current relationships. It can be a mask for insecurity. For someone involved in a service position, humility is absolutely necessary. I write these statments to remind myself of their validity. I look to the next few months as being productive, because my end date mid-July is looming. My number one goal is to lose the mask of pride and spend as much time as possible in my community. Now that the toughest periods of language acqusition, establishing myself in my community, adapting to a new culture and making new friends are over, I have the next few months to indulge in the joy of service, not without a little stress to get the projects done!
