A Leaf on Power

ifeverilovedthee asked: It's your blog that showed me what I want to do with my life. I'm now planning on becoming an English major and later on teaching a High School (and eventually college after I've gotten better degrees) Creative Writing classes. I will more than likely continue using this blog until then and I'll definitely recommend it to my future students as I do to my classmates right now. THANK YOU for inspiring me.

I.

Don’t.

Even.

Know.

What.

To.

Say.

Except congratulations on making that decision to do that thing with your life. Making any sort of decision is half the battle.

Write one leaf in which you make a decision about which you were previously undecided, even if it’s just what to have for lunch.

(Oh, and THANK YOU for following and for writing and for saying what you have to say. It’s ever so important and don’t ever think that it isn’t. Be heard!)

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There is so much fatalism in the world: people who think that life moves forward, marching at its torrential pace, regardless of anything they do. I don't believe that. Or rather, I choose not to believe that.

I choose to believe that the world is a malleable place, that we inspire--and inflict damage--on others, and that every person has a unique power to shape the space they occupy. I choose to believe that the best thing a person can do with his/her life is to grow to acknowledge and own that power. To live vibrantly in that tremendous responsibility. To glow with the possibility instead of hiding in fear of it.

This is the belief that has shaped my choices from the get go. This is the belief I try to live up to when meeting new people. This is the belief that put me on my current career path. It is with this belief that I now apply for Peace Corps service.

I spent the day reading up on Kate Puzey, the Peace Corps volunteer who was murdered by another Peace Corps employee while overseas. I watched the interviews of raped Peace Corps volunteers. I know no organization is perfect. I know the Peace Corps doesn't have the greatest track record for responding to safety concerns. I know this is a risk. I know I am putting myself in danger and putting the hearts of all my loved ones on the line.

It's a hard decision to go. I will be missing critical years off the lives of everyone I care about. I will miss my sister's college graduation. I won't be able to attend friends' weddings or keep up on all the inside jokes. I might even lose some people along the way.

But even knowing all that, I want to go. I want to go because I need to know my idealism isn't unfounded. I want to go because I think in order to properly love the people closest to me, I need to know how to love perfect strangers. I want to go because I want to come back someone my friends and family can be proud of.