Sometimes I feel too blessed, like it can’t be real to have the life that I’m living. Not only do I have a caring family, an incredible stepdad that was kind when I was anything but, parents that have taught me to be curious and kind, the best friends anyone could ask for, God, and mentors along the way, I’ve been given this amazing opportunity to learn in Spain. Where is this all coming from? Why me? One scrap of wisdom I’ve gained from travelling is that we really don’t appreciate what we have. In America we have a bountiful supply of food, clean water, electricity, health services, and security—more than enough to thrive on—and we’re always pushing for more. Most of the world is living off of a fraction of what we take for granted on a daily basis. And yet we’re still not satisfied. Bigger, better, more, more; are there any advertisements that don’t push that value? As a nation we’ve been blessed with so much and yet so many live ignorant of the conditions millions of people live in. Yes, I’m an idealist and, yes, I’m only nineteen, but do either take away from the fact that we could be doing so much more to help than we already are? With all that I’ve been given in my life from friends to education to freedom, the more I step back and take a look the less fair it seems to me that I should be so blessed. I thank God for every gift but know that thankfulness is not enough. Someway, somehow I want to act and use all I’ve been given to turn back and serve until there’s nothing left in me. No, it’s more than a want, it’s a need. I’ve always wanted my life to be more than ‘normal’ (whatever that translates to) but ultimately that’s just self-serving. At some point you have to decide if you would rather be comfortable in an ivory tower or defenestrate (I’ve been waiting for years to legitimately use that in a sentence. yesssssss) yourself to share the wealth—and that’s not just monetarily— you’ve been given because it’s the right thing to do. Right, but not easy. Just some thoughts at three in the morning. But it’s something I’ve been considering for years and something I still haven’t figured out how I’ll act on. Take a moment to think about all that you’ve been given. Now let me leave here (and finally get some sleep) with one question that was posed to me by a homeless man at the Emergency Food Network in Tacoma and the answer to which for myself I still don’t know:

“What will you do?”