Taking a Moment

Writing is pubic spaces like this isn't something I often do so I'm going to pretend that I'm writing in my journal and that people wont be reading this. (It'll give me peace of mind) :) One of the hardest parts of this trip for me was seeing the homelessness everywhere and feeling completely powerless to help any of the people we came across. In Minnesota I know that we have homeless people but I have never had direct interactions with them or been approached by them. It's very different here. There are so many different people that you see and meet on the streets. And while I know that the service that we did is helping the greater community I couldn't help but feel helpless in the sense that I couldn't help each individual person. People just walk by without even acknowledging that these people on the street exist. THEY ARE HUMAN BEINGS JUST LIKE YOU AND ME. I can't walk by as someone is taking to me and not make eye contact and give a smile and spare some change if I have it on me. I think that realizing that there is a much larger world out there than the comfort of my "small" Minnesota, has been really conflicting for me. I love that the world is so big and that I will go through countless experiences good and bad, but now that it has been screaming if my face I can't ignore that there are still a lot of things about this world that need help and involvement. This fire that I have inside for helping people has only grown stronger and I know when I get back I'll find new ways of helping, ways that I know I will be able to do some good with. I think if we all took the time to step out of our day to day lives and see how much is going on around us and how we can contribute, we would start to see some really great positive changes. :) Karissa