In Mia's speech to a ballroom full of dignitaries, low-level royalty, and her closest friends and family, she frankly discusses the amount of time she spends thinking about herself before coming to the conclusion that now she must instead think of others and take the opportunity to make a difference. It's that speech that's on my mind tonight.
The last three weeks have been rough for me. I'm stuck in between two worlds, the one I'm leaving and the one I'm headed for, and everyday I've felt both of those worlds pulling at me. It's been a constant roller coaster of emotions: I'm scared to move to Mississippi. I'm sad to leave my dogs. I'm anxious to get to work. I'm nervous about teaching.
Of course, it's fair to be feeling all of these things, but when I think about me too much, I tend to freak out. When I think about what I'm about to give up or the things I'm saying good-bye to or the roads I'm not taking, I feel scared and wonder if I can do this. But when I can step back and remind myself that this isn't about me, then I feel empowered. When I think of the people I am serving and the cause I am working for, then I know I can do this, I know I must do this.
So as I leave tomorrow morning, I hope I can remember one particular line from Princess Mia's speech: "If I cared about the other seven billion [people] out there instead of just me, that's probably a much better use of my time."
It's simple and it may be cliche, but it's also true. We are not alone in this endeavor of carving out a life on planet Earth, and if every one of us spent a little more time thinking about the other few billion people out there, we might find that both our lives and our world got better. I may not be able to think of all of the other eight billion people now sharing the Earth with me every day of my life, but I hope on the tough days over the next two years I will be able to remember to at least think of the 20 people sitting in front of me and waiting to learn some algebra.
