todayichooselove.com

Yeah, that “C” word: Commitment. I’ve got more of it today.

Yesterday I had the privilege of being one of 26 volunteer adult facilitators at a Challenge Day in a Denver high school (see link below). It was a 6-hour emotional roller coaster with 130 ninth-graders to help them – and us adults - better understand that they are not alone in what they’re feeling and experiencing, that aggression, violence and oppression in any form hurts us all, and that they deserve to feel safe, loved and celebrated.

Without going into the details of the day, suffice it to say that it was beyond inspirational. It was the metaphorical Cosmic 2×4 – make that the Cosmic Railroad Tie – whacking me upside my head, not-so-gently informing me that it’s time to take the next giant leap into The Great Unknown of the How, Where and What of my Work: to build a sustainable culture of compassion at home, at work, in our schools, and in the world by breaking what I call “The Cycle of Relationship Illiteracy.”
(www.lauriecameron.com/feartoloveproject.pdf)

It was a heart-wrenching honor to bear witness as these kids dropped many of their masks and revealed the depth of pain, sadness and hurt they’ve been holding in. The lives of EVERY SINGLE ONE of those 130 children has been touched somehow by drugs, alcohol, bullying, physical or emotional abuse, guns, gangs, murder, suicide, racial or religious persecution, incarceration, or harassment - all in the span of 14 or 15 short years of life on this planet.

And a big handful felt like they’ve never even had the chance to be a kid – they’ve never felt safe enough to just play. Pretty sobering.

Here’s where the C-word comes in to this story.

At the end of the day, the two facilitators invited anyone who felt called to step up to the microphone and share what the day had meant to them, and what changes they were going to make in their lives. There were some apologies to fellow students for teasing, and there were thank-you’s to people who were no longer in the child’s life. An adult volunteer who is also a teacher at the school apologized to a student for riding him so hard, and explained that it was because he wants the boy to live up to the great potential he sees in him.

I stepped up. Through tears and sobs, I apologized to each one of them for every adult in their lives that didn’t know how to help them feel safe, or to feel loved and valued as the amazing, beautiful human being each one of them truly is.

Then I made my commitment to them: I promised them that I will push through my own fear-induced procrastination, and I will find a way to do what I’m here to do.

This is not a new commitment. I’ve been gaining clarity and working through my own fears for what seems like a very long time. What’s new is that I made this commitment to THEM; to 130 young men and women who, by their very existence, really DO deserve to feel safe, loved, and celebrated. For some reason, that takes all of this to a new level for me today. And somehow, some way, I will keep my promise to them.

If you want to get involved with Challenge Day, you can find more details at www.ChallengeDay.org.