Communications Team Blog Post : June 5
Everyday People
The heat has arrived! Colorado’s hot weather has come back from vacation and people are feeling the heat and the good vibes. I wouldn’t say back to normal here in Colorado, but maybe a new kind of normal is in the air – more aware, more appreciative, better. Folks are tired of the lockdowns and are out and about enjoying our beautiful state, cleaning yards, and participating in neighborhood activities. Joining Extreme Community Makeover (ECM) this past weekend, our volunteers were the Columbine Youth Conference and several individual volunteers.
Life these past 18 months has not been everyday normal, but we are all everyday people doing our best to move forward with jobs, family responsibilities, community responsibilities, and all the details necessary to live our lives. Maintaining our lives can be stressful and the added details and the unknown for our future can sometimes be more than we can bare. ECM takes its place in the community seriously.
Not only are we here to clean up neighborhoods, restoring them to their beauty, but we are also here to plant seeds of positive thinking, asking volunteers and our residents how they can participate in making our neighborhoods, communities, the world, and our lives better. All of us being one piece in this gigantic 3D puzzle; when one piece is missing or broken it affects not just you, but it affects everyone. On a positive, constructive note, when we do things to better ourselves the whole world benefits. My question for volunteers and residents during this Work Day was, “In times of stress or feeling overwhelmed what do you do to help yourself get through that pain, anger, sadness, confusion, depression, loneliness…those negative emotions?” Look at these short, but very positive and uplifting replies!
Ginger, Survey Team : I do deep breathing exercises
Season, volunteer : I listen to music and go for a walk
Cinda, volunteer : I serve others
Marilyn, volunteer : be in gratitude
Olivia, Follow-Up Team : I play my guitar
Chris, Sergio, and Xander, volunteers : all enjoy riding their bike
Alexis, volunteer : I like to journal
Angela, volunteer : likes to hit the bags
Tara, volunteer : enjoys quiet time and thinking things through
Ray, volunteer : spends time with good with friends
Kevin, volunteer : plays computer games
Jason, Photography Team : enjoys listening to music, get grounded, wait it out (be patient and trust)
This last person and the only resident I spoke with, Diego had some very profound things to say that sums up what this exercise in positive thinking and positive action is about. Diego said that he practices stoicism. The simple definition of stoicism is, the philosophy of life that maximizes positive emotions, reduces negative emotions, and helps individuals to hone their virtues of character. After a very short, but deep conversation with Diego, I could see that he lived up to the definition of stoicism. Diego left me with a few quotes that sum up this entire day and perhaps, a way of thinking we can adopt into our own lives.
“Our worst setbacks can be our greatest opportunities - hard choices, easy life; easy choices, hard life.”
Let us all take note from these wonderful examples of bettering ourselves and our world through positive and good action, knowing that we – Everyday People can and do make a difference in creating a better community and a better world!
- Lisa, Communications Team