blog #2

As you all know, I am proud team member of Project Kenya. The meetings have been going great, and I'm learning lots in really cool and creative ways - thanks to the project leaders.
The website is now up and rolling and so are the blogs from each member! The blog is used to tell people in the community and possible donors of what we are learning, how we like it, activities, fundraising, and more. My first blog is up there and is entitled "Opportunities come and go...”  My name is also on the blog (if you are having trouble finding it). And you might have to press 'older blogs' to find it...but it's there! I promise!
I guess my blogging has come in handy!

http://ymcaprojectkenya.ca/

Enjoy!


~amy

Dan

The other night I was at a youth summit event with Project Kenya. There were number of speakers and we were introduced on stage to show our community the team that will be going to Kenya next year.
All of the speakers were great. They all talked about following your dreams and learning from your failures. And they all told us about their stories and how maybe some people didn't believe in them. But they kept going.
A guy named Dan, who goes to my church sometimes, was speaking. I knew his situation but I never heard him share his story. Let's just throw it out there...I was inspired.
Dan was wrestling with a friend one night, just horsing around like guys do, and some how he flipped over his friend and landed on his back breaking his neck. He was paralyzed from the neck down, however the doctor fixed his neck, but he still can't walk, and is in a driving wheelchair. His life was all about sports. That's all he did, and explained that he probably going to go to college to play more sports. He explained that he was never the best one on the team, but he was always the hardest working. His team could always count on him to never give up. Period.  
But now he is stuck, and may never walk again. But he doesn't call his story a sad story. He has stayed positive through it all. He told us this is because of his supportive family, his awesome friends who while he was in the hospital raised 30,000 for him, and people who inspire him.
He told us a story that one Saturday he was having a bad day because he was stuck in the hospital with nothing to do, and his friends, who were going to come visit, cancelled on him. He went cruising around to try to entertain himself and met a guy outside that inspired him and changed his perspective completely. The guy he met had no parents or siblings because they died, and he has 4 kids who have never visited him since he was omitted to the hospital - 7 years ago. He changed his perspective on the situation he thought he was in and became positive.

He encouraged us youngsters to keep pushing forward. He said that bad stuff happens but there is someone out there who is in a way bigger situation then you are in so stay positive.

His favorite saying: “If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” - Martin Luther King Jr.

~amy

it doesn't matter

I just finished reading Apolo Ohno's book 'Zero Regrets' for the third time. You think by now I would be bored of the book...but I'm not. And I promise you this won't be the last time it was read. I read for hours upon hours on the train ride to and from Chicago I had nothing else to do, and was enjoying what I read twice already. However, the great thing about this book is that you don't get sick of it, and you learn something new every time.
This time through something unique caught my eye. It's not where you start. It's where you finish. Apolo explained that he wasn't born into speed skating; he was born in a somewhat broken home - hanging out with the wrong crowd, getting himself into trouble and not having a care in the world. It is ok to fail. "It took that failure for me to realize what my potential was and to dedicate myself to something I truly believed in, to understand that it was going to take a whole lot more than going through motions, no matter how talented I might be." - Apolo Ohno (from the book). Apolo learned a lot throughout his journey, and his finish was worth all the struggles and trials he went through. His finish was meaningful and full of potential. And what a finish it was - 8 Olympic medals. Oh ya! Who cares where you were. Finish strong and regret free should be the goal. It's mine!

~amy

the challenge

With my new year's resolution to eat healthier comes with it a lot of cravings I tend to see. So it's time to teach myself self-control. As you can see in the pictures below, I have made myself a challenge. I put my favourite candies in a bowl and decorated the outside with sayings, pictures, and questions like, "Do you really need this? How will this affect your body?".

Now let me tell you, the mixture of smells between chocolate and sour candy sure smells delicious, and gets me thinking sometimes...but to live with no regrets is worth it. This challenge just sits on my dresser, staring at me, but I'm not going to touch it.

~amy