Since I began this adventure in August, I’m frequently asked, “Why are you doing this?” My answer is simple. "I have to."
After the conversation I had last year with my students about whether people are basically good or basically evil, I immediately came up with the idea to launch this blog, but I dismissed the idea just as quickly.
We all know the drill. Human beings have a knack for looking at all the reasons why something will fail, rather than focusing on why it will succeed. I generated a long list of mental objections - “No one will even read the blog.....We are in the midst of a recession. No one will give you any money.....It’s a silly idea that can’t possibly work.”
But the idea kept coming back.
Ever since I was a boy, my father’s told me to listen to my internal voice and follow my hunches. Sometimes I do. Many times I don’t, although most of the time good things happen when I do. Despite my reservations, I felt like I owed it to my father, myself, and my kids to give the blog a shot.
Now, eight months later, I’m glad I trusted my instincts. Have I raised a lot of money? Nope. I’m still sitting on $34. Will I end up going overseas? That remains to be seen, but regardless of what happens, I feel that the blog has been a success because it’s gotten the attention of my students, and maybe, it’s given them the motivation to trust their own hunches.
Even though the weeks are passing ever closer to the time when I will have to make the final decision on the trip, I remain optimistic that I’ll be going somewhere this summer. My gut keeps telling me that something wonderful will happen. I’m not sure what, but I’m excited about what lies ahead.
As always, thanks for reading my blog.
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