Creating Social Value Blog / Service in Action

Putting Life in Perspective

Throughout the journey of our life, we often find ourselves thinking back to what moments made us the person we are today. We think about all the hard work that has gone into creating, developing, and managing the person you are. Today, I think about how this trip will be in my thoughts when I look back in those moments in the future. Going to Catholic school for a large portion of my life has me used to community service and religious retreats where I’ve had moments to reflect not only on my faith but on my life decisions and how I’ve included those who are much less blessed than I am in my life. Every time I left a retreat or a community service I felt enlightened, strengthened, and mostly inspired to do more. That’s the reason I chose to go on this trip, because this feeling of wanting to do more has led me to do more. Yesterday, we had the opportunity to really delve deep into the qualifications that it takes to be eligible for a home built by Habitat for Humanity. This list of requirements along with statistics of what percentage of the residents of Vero Beach live in conditions below the poverty line really had me thinking about my life and how I live it. We complain on a day to day basis about the little things in life yet there are thousands across this country let alone this world who don’t have the privilege to complain about their situation, they must just accept their fate. I have much thinking to do about how a complex issue like poverty can be something that I can address but I hope that one day each week/month/year, everyone thinks about how privileged they are.

-Vero Beach, Florida Habitat for Humanity Trip Participant