I wish that I could articulate into words the way my heart feels when I am surrounded by unconditional love and support. The cries of jubilation, the voices shrill with charisma, the contagious, seemingly perfect smiles and the apparent tears of pure happiness- these are the types of people and moments and surroundings that I live for; these have helped shape every piece of who I am.
My sister and I often discuss the thought of “spiritual happiness.” If you’ve experienced it, you know what I’m talking about. Spiritual happiness makes you ache in a good way: it makes you feel invincible and so sure of yourself that you not only THINK you can take on the world, you KNOW you can. Spiritual happiness first found me when I was a child and today, as an adult, I look for it as often as I can. Where can I find this happiness I speak of? Well, finding it is very easy. It’s all about where you look.
My sister and I often discuss the thought of “spiritual happiness.” If you’ve experienced it, you know what I’m talking about. Spiritual happiness makes you ache in a good way: it makes you feel invincible and so sure of yourself that you not only THINK you can take on the world, you KNOW you can. Spiritual happiness first found me when I was a child and today, as an adult, I look for it as often as I can. Where can I find this happiness I speak of? Well, finding it is very easy. It’s all about where you look.
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| Light the Night Chester County 2012 |
It wasn’t until I was a college student that I became aware of what these moments of happiness can do to your life. They can change it. They can completely alter your life plan. They can irrevocably weave into your heart and make you wonder how you ever knew a life of a different sort. This appeared to me as a college freshman when I first experienced THON. I won’t try to explain to you what THON is because words simply cannot do it justice. But, for those completely unaware, it is a 46 hour no-sitting, no-sleeping dance marathon that benefits the Four Diamonds Fund at Hershey Children’s Hospital. THON’s mission is simple: to eradicate pediatric cancer while ensuring that the families feel the warmth, love and support of students at Penn State University. I was never happier than I had been while getting ambushed with water guns; or shaking a father of a cancer survivor’s hand to forget my achy feet; or crying out of pure exhaustion and immeasurable happiness with 15,000 of my friends each time we saw an amazing number. Insurmountable laughs accompanied $7,490,133.87. Goosebumps came along with $7,838,054.36. Tears and hugs emerged with $9,563,016.09. And right next to $10,686,924.83, the emotional tidal wave of an entire year turned into nothing more than those numbers and those kids; a sheer appreciation as the magnitude of everything disappeared under a giant blanket of selfless LOVE. What a gift I was given. What a gift to all of us.
This joy that was felt during my time as a Penn State student involved with THON was incomparable to anything else, and led me to where I am now: a PR/Marketing Intern for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Eastern Pennsylvania. I experienced another one of those THON-like, spiritually happy moments this past weekend while attending the Light the Night Walk in Chester County. Each of the walkers is given an illuminated balloon and they literally LIGHT the night. Some walk with red balloons to show they are supporters. Some walk proudly with their white balloons to tell the world that they beat cancer. And then, there are those who walk quietly with their gold balloons- a constant reminder that cancer stole someone too soon. Yet, it wasn’t just the sight of these balloons that caused my heart to ache, in both good and bad ways I might add. It was the PEOPLE. Their rawness, their vulnerability, their excitement. These people were different from my world of THON. They were not my friends, they were strangers; but I felt like I knew them. I had seen their faces in those of children and siblings and parents too many times before.
Sitting there Saturday night, the whole point of my presence snapped into focus in one striking, awe-inspiring moment. Two little kids approached the t-shirt tent to collect their survivor tees. Both were timid and both needed the encouragement of their parents in the form of a hand on their shoulder. One of the volunteers in the t-shirt tent yelled that there were survivors present and all of a sudden, the hustle and bustle of the volunteers in the tent stopped. They all congregated towards the side of the tent where the children were and together, in unison, their VOICES (rather than the balloons) lit the perfect September night. “SURVIVORS ARE THE REAL CHAMPIONS!” My heart leapt into my throat as I grappled with the beauty of what I had just witnessed. A connection of the human spirit. A moment that would probably stay with those young survivors for the rest of their life. THAT moment would be tied to their cancer battle, and that would be a good memory. There is always beauty, I was reminded, even in the ugliest parts of our world.
As I drove home from the walk with my dad that night, we rode in silence as my mind was racing (something that you will know is very normal occurrence if you know me well). I thought about THON. I thought about LLS. I thought about spiritual happiness. I thought about those happy moments and then I realized something.
I am only ever SPIRITUALLY happy when I am doing something for someone else.
This is my call to action for our generation, one that is liberal and unique and so vastly different from others that it is hard to necessarily explain. We have the power and the ability to make the world a better place. We have the relationships to enact change. We have the brains to come across new discoveries. We have the smiles to brighten bad days. We have the voices to remind everyone of their importance. Do not waste your talent. Make a difference. Help people every chance you get. As I often hear from people “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are, while you are here.” It may be the tiniest of gestures (like those volunteers cheering those survivors, like college students giving up a few hours of sleep), but to someone else it will truly mean the world.
And you never know, you just might benefit too. Spiritual happiness? You might want to try it.
