In the midst of working hard on curriculum planning for the kids in Ukraine, marketing my services to other organizations, and failing miserably at learning how to speak Russian, I am constantly finding myself overwhelmed with the fast-paced, greed-driven, complicated world that I live in. Even though our great country was founded in the name of Liberty and is rooted in the principle of Freedom, most Americans spend their days as slaves to one master: Success. As I step back and reflect on our society's never-ending scramble for more money, more possessions, and more power, I can't help but think about those 80 boys living in rural Ukraine whose prize possessions are the shirts on their backs.
As I spent more time with the boys at Romaniv, something started to stand out. I noticed that many of the boys were carrying around trinkets everywhere they went. No matter what the boys were doing, they didn't leave the room without their "treasure". To anyone else, these objects were trash: an old dirty sock stuffed with dirt and grass, a button ripped from a sweater, or a broken shoelace. When I inquired about the trinkets I was told that some of boys brought these objects with them from their homes - and were their only reminders of life before Romaniv. After one of our lessons, I stopped one of the boys who was carrying his trinket, safely tucked beneath his deformed arm. I held out my hand and gestured toward it, asking if I could see it. He held it up for me to see - the old sock stuffed with dirt. Dirty, rank, and unsavory to say the least, it was clear the sock had seen better days. But as I smiled at him, he beamed back at me with pride -- It was his.
In many ways, these boys are just like their trinkets. To the world they are Dirty. Broken. Undesirable. Garbage. Unworthy of the world's time and resources. But to me, they are treasures.
As I think about my life here in America, I find myself holding on to these treasures and carrying them with me throughout the day. It's not always easy to escape from the dizzying pace of our society. But in the end, it's about finding the simple things - the little things in life that get you through the day. The support of someone close to you. Or letting your guard down, if only for a moment. Or going out of your way to do something meaningful for another. Whatever your treasure may be - hold on to it and remind yourself to enjoy the simple things.
