One of the coolest experience this year for me has been attending camp this year with 500 of the coolest Minnesota FFA members I know. I had never been to camp before, so I was a little anxious to be real honest. I didn’t know the dynamic of camp and how members would fill their free time. We had written out our scripts for facilitating all the sessions weeks ahead of time, but what wasn’t planned became uncharted territory.
During our first break, a few members had grabbed me to come try swing dancing with them. First things first, I don’t dance… let alone whatever these swing dancing shenanigans were. But they said it would be fun and easy so I figured why not. They started showing me the moves, and after an hour I had one move down. By the last day of camp, what started out as 6 people swing dancing in one corner grew to two packed rooms and the hallway packed with people teaching and learning new moves.
Even though I was a disaster at swing dancing, the 6 members who had taught me had rubbed off on me as I tried to recruit more and more people to swing dance. Those six-people had such a passion and excitement for swing dancing that it left me feeling confident in myself. And in that moment, I went from the teacher to the student. I was amazed at the influence these members had on me and those around them. They welcomed me into a situation that I wasn’t comfortable in. They helped me go All In to a situation that I wasn’t sure about. We have influence on others every day, so how do we make sure we are leaving a positive one – one that encourages others to go All In? How do we live a life that models that positive difference, and not a negative one?
I found the answer when my teammates and I traveled to South Africa this past January. One night in South Africa we stayed in cabins in the middle of a wildlife reserve. When we were there, we ate in the lodge with food made and served by Mrs. Joyce and her crew. They were never seen without a huge smile across their face. But what started out as a normal night dining in became a night I that will forever influence the way I am.
After everyone had their main course, the staff had disappeared into the kitchen. Then after about 10 minutes or so, they came singing and dancing out of the kitchen. They were singing in
Now we had no clue what they were singing and couldn’t match their practiced moves, but they were so passionate and true to themselves that they had allowed us to feel comfortable to join them. Mrs. Joyce and her crew were from another country, spoke a different language with different culture than us – yet somehow they had completely welcomed us into their home. They had such great influence that they allowed us to feel comfortable in their home and environment. Because of that night, I am always reminded to stay true to who I am, and to lead a life of going All In, even if it is uncomfortable or scary. I am still in awe of how they had brought 50 others out of their seats to dance with them.
How can we follow Mrs. Joyce’s example to lead a life of encouraging others to step outside of their comfort zone, and not just observe? Each of us can think of someone who has influenced us to be better, go further and reach higher, now think of those who might look at you for that example. In both of my stories there were a lot of people watching, but that isn’t always the case. You could choose to invite someone to dance, and build them up to feel comfortable. When you're in the middle of something completely foreign, do you let yourself feel the joy - even if it's strange? As we near
Beneath The Rising Sun,
Spencer Wolter
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