A Wall, The Power of One, The Power of You

9.29.12

Alright so I know I haven't written about Portugal or Spain yet, but I
will very soon! (I'm honestly waiting because I'm trying to remember
the name of the Palace in Sintre, Portugal that I hiked to, along with
the name of the cross at the very top of the mountain, so if anyone
wants to look it up and e-mail it to me in order to help me out, that'd
be wonderful! [Since I have hardly any internet minutes here!] )

But while I'm still pondering about that, we had Open Mic Night tonight
in the Piano Lounge. Now I didn't go up and talk/sing/play an
instrument, honestly, I wouldn't know what to do had I been up there,
but there was one person who knew exactly what to say. Her name is
Renee and she is one of the RD's here on the ship.

Renee claimed that she went up there not knowing what to talk about, and
while some part of me believes that, her story was so well spoken that
she had to have known what she wanted students to get from her speech;
it was so well thought out!

She talked about the time when she was called a Hero. So at first she
asked us what we thought of when we heard the term "Hero." My mind
wandered to my Grandpa, who fought in WWII, who touched the lives of
several hundreds of people by teaching Drivers Ed. in school along with
coaching football and baseball. I also thought about the soldiers who
daily lay down their lives in order to protect ours. But the more Renee
talked, the more I realized how cliche I thought I was being. Now don't
get me wrong, I still believe that soldiers are heroes, I still believe
that my Grandpa is a hero, and I'm not saying that these people aren't
heroes. I'm simply saying that heroes are much more than just those we
automatically tend to think about.

Renee told her story of when she was a camp counselor one year during
the summer. I'm going to tell Renee's story as if I were her, but a
shortened version. There were 3 main characters aside from herself in
this story. Bobbi, Andrea, and Ryan. Bobbi was the girl who was a
little bit bigger than everyone else (these are all middle-school
children, by the way) and Andrea, a little bit on the tomboy side, was
her best friend. Ryan was the boy who always picked on Bobbi. The camp
was 5 days long, and they were doing everything outdoorsy and
science-like. Everyday Renee would talk about the big rock wall that
they would all climb on the last day. Everyone (especially Andrea) was
excited to climb...everyone but Bobbi.

Well Bobbi had spoken to Renee about how scared she was to climb the
wall, and even thought about not showing up to camp the last day,
despite the fact that meant she wouldn't complete the program and get
her certificate. Renee calmly told Bobbi that everyone would be there
for her, but it was her decision whether or not to show up.

The next day rolled around, and as the time starts passing by, Bobbi
hadn't shown up. Renee explained to her captivated audience how
disappointed she was, but kept going for the rest of the students.
Finally, Bobbi made her appearance. As everyone climbed the rock wall,
Bobbi hung back.

It was Ryan who called her out and shouted that she was the only one who
hadn't gone up. Who knew if he knew that he was actually doing her a
favor, but either way, he put all the attention on her and Bobbi agreed
to climb the wall.

Renee tried to calm Bobbi down as she took one step off the ground, and
then another. Both feet were about a foot off the ground, and Bobbi was
terrified, even shaking. Andrea stepped up to her side and told her
that she was right there for her, and slowly but surely, Bobbi made it
up halfway. Then she looked down. (Note: if you're scared of heights
and are climbing up, don't look down!!) Well that did it, and Bobbi was
frozen in place. tears literally streaming down her face and called out
that she couldn't go any further; Andrea's presence wasn't helping at
all anymore. Who decides to step up? Out of the crowd, you hear Ryan,
who had been bugging her all summer, start chanting, "Bobbi. Bobbi.
Bobbi." And everyone joined in! Up Bobbi went and finally made it to
the top, and was able to ring the little bell!

The next day, after summer camp was over, Renee still had other
students, but Bobbi's time was over. However, Renee found a little
handwritten note on her car the next day from Bobbi, telling her how
thankful she was for Renee, called her her hero, and how she wouldn't
have been able to conquer her fears if Renee hadn't been there.

This story got me thinking about what it really means to be a hero. It's
not just the obvious, the ones who go out of their way to make sure you
can live a free life. It could be the parent who kills the spider for
their child, or gives a kiss when they get a scrape. It may be the best
friend who helps you through a tough heartbreak, or the kid at school
who shares their lunch when you forgot yours. This all comes back to the
title: A Wall, The Power of One, The Power of You.

Renee then challenged all of us to rethink. A wall. This could be
anything physical, emotional, or psychological. Anything that could be
blocking your potential. The power of one. One person can make
someone's life infinitely better. Renee helped Bobbi conquer her fear
of heights. The parent who kills the bug that may be terrifying the
child. It doesn't have to be anything huge, it's honestly the little
things that make the most difference, that are the most noticeable.
Then there's the power of you. You have the power to be someone's
hero. Whether you know it or not, whether they recognize you for what
you've done for them, YOU have the potential to be someone's everyday
hero. How can you make the difference? You could be the one who gives
a daily compliment to someone, and make their day, everyday. You can be
the one who stands up for someone who may be being picked on. You can
brighten someone's day just by smiling at them. Everyone can be a hero.

I've then thought about my everyday heroes. My parents for helping me
through all of my life. Dr. Hopfensperger as she has helped me with not
only my education, but with research experience needed for Graduate
School, and how she plans on helping me with my decision of where to
attend. Dr. McIntyre-Miller with helping me reach my goal to go on
Semester at Sea, and had it not been for her, I may not have been here
to hear Renee's story. My friends through the college years as we all
battled through exams, bad professors, and drama. You may not realize
it, but everyone can and will be a hero to someone else throughout their
lifetime. It doesn't have to be just laying down the line for someone,
it's anything that can make them be a better person, feel more important.

I've taken Renee's 3-steps to heart, and can apply them in everyday
life. I know that as I hike up Mt. Teide tomorrow, I will face a
physical challenge, as well as psychological because my body will feel
the burn as I hike, as well as I need to believe that I can make it up.
I know that as I travel with Danielle, Amy, Colleen, Dale, Ann, Michael,
and Peter we will all be encouraging each other as we face the hardship
that lays ahead. I have the power to help them achieve reaching the summit.

Renee made a great point about how every little thing you do can have a
huge impact on someone else. Enough to be considered that person's
hero. So basically, don't ever underestimate the power of what you can
do to help someone overcome a difficult situation. You never know, for
that moment, you too will be a hero!

SH