The Time is NOW!

Tonight's meeting with the STARS Leaders went well. On our agenda we were supposed to meet with students from Amundsen High School. I was really looking forward to interacting with the students but unfortunately they could not make it. Although the students were not able to visit, I am not completely sadden by it. Our group had the opportunity to meet with Nicole and two young ladies from the Empowerment Pipeline. The goal of the Empowerment Pipeline is to empower/encourage students to succeed. The Empowerment Pipeline members are there for students to answer questions that they may have about college or life in general. I think that their efforts are commendable! The fact that I was able to hear about the experiences of the young ladies involved in the Empowerment Pipeline was helpful. It allowed me to develop an understanding of what the STARS leaders will be getting into as we talk with students during future visits. I'm excited and ready to share/give the students all that I have!

An ideal place to meditate. (Photo: Lauren Adams)

Meditation: Before reading the article, 'Why We Find It Hard to Meditate' via Mindful.org, I hadn't given much thought about meditation. I am aware of meditation in general but I don't do it regularly. I think that I probably should meditate at least once a week. I'm sure it would make things so much more bearable. I believe it will be beneficial to me to organize my thoughts or at least just be aware of what's going on in my life. Often times I become overwhelmed by the many tasks I have to complete and just being aware of them I think will remove some of that stress. Next week, I'm going to try meditating for fifteen minutes. I will definitely take advantage of having such a beautiful campus at Loyola (Chicago) and meditate. I'm really looking forward to that experience.

Finding a balance in life has been especially challenging for me. I would say that the pendulum theory developed by Dieter Pauwels is completely accurate and applicable to me. In my life there are times where I feel great, other times not so much. Moments where I feel accomplished and moments where I feel like I haven't done anything. The list goes on, but bottom line is I have to remember that I will bounce back and get on the right path. My not so great moments are just as much apart of my growth and development as the high points. The article was uplifting and I will try to remember the important points when I am going through my low points.


W.E.B. DuBois said,

“Now is the accepted time, not tomorrow, not some more convenient season. It is today that our best work can be done and not some future day or future year. It is today that we fit ourselves for the greater usefulness of tomorrow. Today is the seed time, now are the hours of work, and tomorrow comes the harvest and the playtime.” 

I completely agree with DuBois. If we wait for convenient situations we may never get anything done. We just have to jump into things and handle them right away. The final statement shows that when effort and hard work is put in initially, you'll reap the benefits. As a student I take on that type of attitude with my work. I work hard in school now so that I can get a job of my choosing where I am comfortable and satisfied.

Here is a video clip from one of my favorite movies, The Great Debaters.  This clip highlights many of the things I have mentioned in this post. It is appropriate because it also deals with educational inequalities, which is a topic hat we've talked about during our past STARS LEAD meetings. Although it focuses on inequities within education as a result of segregation in America many of the points made are still relevant today. It's a great film and I recommend that you watch it, if you have not seen it before. Enjoy the clip!

Lauren L. Adams