MS: You do not necessarily need to speak to someone to be able to communicate something towards them

AMH2020 student
 “We need more kindness, more compassion, more joy, more laughter. I definitely want to contribute to that.” – Ellen DeGeneres

            For my second service project, I completed another box to send to troops serving in Afghanistan. After working on completing and sending the first box, I realized the small impact it had quickly made on my life. I was much more interested in knowing about how these boxes impact the servicemen and women and what kind of items they are specifically in need of. Being a part of a simple project where I am able to send boxes to those who put their life on the line for the safety of my friends and family every day is something that is much more than a small token of my appreciation. While I wish I could contribute more, the best thing I can do for them to show my appreciation is to do what I am able to which is to send them this box to serve as a symbol of my sincere gratitude.

            In this box, I wanted to send similar items to my first box but not exact although each item has the same meaning behind it. For snacks, I included Candy, Chips, Cheese Crackers, Chewy Granola Bars, Freeze Dried Fruit, and Trail Mix. I know that snacks seem as a simple thing that we may take for granted but I feel that for troops in Afghanistan, these supplies may not be as readily available as we would expect them to be for us. In addition to the various snacks, I included activities to put a small smile on their faces and maybe cause a welcome distraction: pens and a Notebook, Playing Cards, and a Wheel of Fortune Word Seek book. Like the last box, the most important item in there to me was a handwritten thank you note that truly expressed my sincere thanks and appreciation for all that the servicemen and women do.

            One of the reasons this project means so much to me is because my grandmother created a similar concept to send my grandfather when he was serving in the Marines in the late 1960’s/early 1970’s. Herself and her neighbors in Brooklyn, New York used to send my grandfather a small box of essentials while he was domestically serving. My Grandpa Allen, to this day constantly says that the boxes were what he looked forward to receiving and that people, some neighbors he didn’t even know cared so much about his happiness and his safety that he was truly honored and beyond appreciative of the small effort that people made specifically for him. Knowing someone who has personally served and received something like this that makes a difference in their life means more to me than I will ever be able to describe. Although I do not personally know many currently serving servicemen and women today and get a physical opportunity to say thank you, I feel that having the ability and means to put together and send these boxes to troops in Afghanistan allows me to contribute in a small manner that truly goes a long way.

            This project connects to my core values because of the fact that giving back to others and doing charity and volunteer work has always been an important aspect of my life. Additionally, being a part of a society and a group where coming together to do something strong for the community allows me to understand and connect to the service project on a deeper level. As a communications major, my eventual career will be talking to people and communicating with them in all different types of ways. I feel that I am communicating my gratitude to the servicemen and women by sending this box. To me, this is just a small way to contribute my appreciating and it ties into the communication skills that I learn each day. You do not necessarily need to speak to someone to be able to communicate something towards them. It takes the strength and motivation behind your communication to convey the message that you want sent across whether it is through symbols or physical speaking.

            I hope that my box brings happiness and a sense of joy to those troops serving in Afghanistan. My simplistic goal of putting this box together is to express my sincere gratitude and show joy for all those who have exemplified extreme bravery and are serving our country. I hope to have that impact on a servicemen or women’s life that I contributed to the small bit of happiness they may have experienced that day. I love the concept of this project as it is a simple way to express our appreciation in just a small way and I hope that by me continuing on with it because I enjoy it, I can inspire others to begin to do the same. To know from a personal experience story like my grandfathers, this little bit goes a long way whether we are aware of it or not. To get the community involved in an amazing project like this could lead to so many stepping stones for great success. I hope to be a part of this project and its incredible concept for many years to come. 

Summer School Chapter 30: One Frog Leads to Another

After finishing the semester discussed in the last chapter, Alex became very sick and was in the hospital here in Tallahassee for several weeks. He has since recovered and has moved into a home that is closer to his parents. We have talked briefly over the last few years, but I haven’t seen Alex and we haven’t turned the yoga frog book into a play.  Yet.  

 I have acquired new yoga frogs since then, none as large, none as inspiring, and I have not missed the laughing praying yoga frog for a single day because it is exactly where it should be.

At this point in my actual summer of 2017, I’m thankful to be writing this story for you so I have something to do besides staring at Twitter and recalculating how to weigh points in my next syllabi.   If I can help shine a light on the plight of Tallahassee Community College students facing homelessness and profound costs of living with complicated diseases, then this time will have been well spent. 

A few weeks ago, during the middle of this summer school story, a treasured student - Mallie - sent me a picture on Facebook of two cute yoga frogs that she found at TJMaxx.  

I think about adopting them, but I don’t.   I binge watch Netflix and take myself running and walking and spend quality time on my yoga ball and practice staying sane every time Zoe drives away.

Days later Mallie asks if I’ve gone to get the frogs YET and I say I'm going but I’m really not in any hurry and I don't go because I really hate that parking lot because it has all sorts of Starbucks traffic backed up in it combined with starving people racing to Chipotle and if you've been there you know what I'm talking about. 

I know what to do.  I just trust Mallie. She’s assigned me three awesome books in a row, better than most of my professors.  I give up resisting and go to TJMaxx to see if the new yoga frogs had waited for me.

Of course, they were there, of course.  A green one and a white, larger than most of my other frogs,  both sitting in lotus position, and a steal at only $6.99 each.

I scoop them up and then I get the very strong feeling there is treasure nearby.

My left hand reaches down towards something round and hard and as I lift it towards me I know it’s the reason that the yoga frogs brought me here today.

 It is a copper statue of a happy reclining frog holding a candle between its knees.  The candle appears to be telling the frog a story that only the frog can hear, a story that makes the frogs face shine with joy.  

If you look at it one way the frog appears to be gazing down into the imagined and expected warmth of the unit candle; if you hold it another way it is looking skyward, basking in the invisible warmth of the unlit candle.  

 Yes. Yes, it is perfect, it is amazing and it inspires me and I bring it home and promise to not let myself light the candle a single time until after I finish writing this entire summer school story for you.  

Summer School 29: Goodbye Frog

Before we go any farther, I need to revisit the origin of all these frogs you're reading about.  Please make sure that history doesn't write me down as  some sort of whacky frog lady.   I don't pick the frogs, they pick me. 

Here's how it started. 

In December 2007 my Abuela jumped into the sky, tearing our hearts apart. My mom had a bunch of little frog figurines that we had given her as part this holiday and that anniversary over more than a decade, and they each had a name -- the Tita Frog, the Zoe Frog, the Abuela Frog etc -- so I do not blame my mom for getting rid of her frogs as part of her early grief (the part everyone expects, as opposed to "later grief" which changes you and lasts the rest of your life).  I rescued the frogs and they all live in my office, but none were as big and proud and charismatic as the praying laughing yoga frog that the universe forced me to buy at Cracker Barrel. 

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If you are enjoying this unfolding story about former students, I hope you will consider supporting a current student and recent transplant recipient, Marvin Cristopher Blanco https://www.gofundme.com/ydb92-marvins-kidney-transplant 

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(From Prayer of the Laughing Yoga Frog, 2012)

Alex spent the first week of Spring semester classes in the hospital.  But he got better (he always does) and made his way back to campus, ready to keep on track to graduating from Tallahassee Community College and transferring to Florida State to major in Theatre.  He has a specific plan, he's here for a reason, he has places to go and things to do, and day by day he gets them done. 

On one of his first days on campus, Alex comes to the professor's office to get a copy of Prayer of the Laughing Yoga Frog book and to discuss what he missed that first week. 

The conversation turns and twists and Alex shares that he had gone on a mission trip to Peru and found the people there didn't relax and laugh like Americans. 

Their talk turns to the subject of Reggie.

Alex knows that the professor knows what happened, so they talk freely and share their feelings of anger, betrayal and genuine shock. 

Time goes quickly and it's almost time for the professor to race off to a class, so she starts to tell Alex its time for him to go.

He stays put and announces, "I had a dream."

The professor winces, she does not have time to hear about dreams and such now, she needs to get to this classroom where the computer takes 10 minutes to warm up and if she doesn't go in three minutes then she will only be 10 minutes early and class will start late.

If it had been another student she probably would have said, "Push pause!! Tell me after class or write it or come back tomorrow!”, but Alex couldn't just come back or write it. After all he had been through she owed him her undivided attention and stayed put, exhaling away her thoughts of racing around him out the door to get to class on time.

Very clearly and slowly he announced, "I dreamed the frog wanted to come live with me."

Somehow deep down she knew that since she loved this frog so much she would have to give it up and make room for more frogs in her life.

We lose every single thing in life - our things, the people we love, and ultimately we lose our bodies -- so it seemed like a good idea to her to play a part in making something a gift instead of a loss.

Despite her inner wisdom, the professor said a very mild yes at first, something like, "Yes, you can have him, but why don't you come get him on Thursday when I can pack him up for you?" and then kept rambling about something like, "And I need him back to take pictures for the week of classes, so take good care of him, promise?"

She looked for an excuse to not give him the frog.

He couldn't hold it safely in his arms or between his knees, she didn't have a bag to put it in for him. 

As the words came out of her mouth, the professor reached below her desk and pulled out a bag that had been waiting its entire life to be called into action on this particular moment.   

The professor continued her dribble about how she couldn't give Alex the frog today while loading the frog into the bag and testing to see if it would hang safely on the back of his wheelchair.   It fit perfectly. 

Her frog statue's frogilicious yogarific head peeked out over Alex's shoulder as they rolled down the hallway.

They looked happy together, the professor thought for a millisecond, then raced off to class.  Soon after that, the professor finds a tutor for Alex who also acts like a second set of eyes watching over Alex's new guide and keeping him engaged and safe on campus.  She pays the tutor with royalties from the first week of sales from Prayer of Laughing Yoga Frog.  Perfect. Wonderful.

The next week Alex comes back to the professor's office and tells her that he has thought about it and it's OK for her to write about what happened with Reggie.

The professor is delighted Alex is ready to move from victim to advocate. 

Can he be the co-author of the book?

Yes, I will list you as the first author, the professor proclaims. 

Alex seems almost satisfied.

He has more questions.

Can there be a book signing? On campus this semester?

The professor nods her head.

If she gets the book done in time, and enlists the help of that awesome lady at the TCC Bookstore, then yes, there could be a book signing, in late March or April.

I will have it done for Valentine's Day she tells him and her and the universe and any frog that happens to be listening.

Alex looks happy.

It's almost time for class and he starts to go off but he gets stuck against the wall on one of the tight turns he has to make navigating his way from the professor's office to the elevator.

Alex turns too far and goes the wrong way and turns again but his chair gets partially stuck against the wall.He has to reverse it but he is laughing so loud at being stuck he can hardly control his hand.  The professor laughs too but with her hand over her mouth. He is definitely stuck and they both know this is an I Love Lucy moment.

Alex hits another button and pushes a knob forward. 

His chair starts to rise and tilt back.  Oh NO!!!!! he proclaims and then laughs loud, deep, hard laughs while the professor slides down the wall laughing.

Two heads peek out of faculty offices to check out the ruckus and see if everything is OK.

They see a laughing student in a wheelchair stuck against a wall and a laughing Professor but no actual trouble so they disappear back into their offices, causing the professor and her student to laugh harder. 

  

The next night the professor gets ready to write, makes notes and then again she just  can't write.  This is strange for her, she has so much to write and nothing is coming.

Alex comes to her office before class the next day and asks how the writing is coming.

 The professor says it will be ready for Valentine's Day, not mentioning that she was stuck, stuck, stuck .

Then she blurts something out that had been hiding inside her head. "You know you're going to have to forgive him, don't you?"

Alex's body gets rigid with an angry non-verbal response.

"I didn't say you have to forgive Reggie today, but forgiveness has to be at the end of this journey, and the journey could take weeks, months or years."

Alex's face relaxes a little. 

"You don't have to forget what Reggie did to you. The justice system will hold him accountable for crimes. That is really going to happen."

The idea of justice brings Alex a little more peace.

He nods agreement and she keeps talking.

"What Reggie did to you can become the center of your life and your thoughts and your identity, and I would hate for that to happen because you are so much bigger than that.  I want us to write a book you can turn into a play and be in, one that represents who you really are, not just what happened to you.  I will notwrite a book about a victim. I will notwrite a book about an angry man. I WILL write a book about a very wise man."

Alex smiles at the idea.  Then, before she can say another word, Alex asks, "How much of the royalties will I get?"

The professor, so pleased by his audacious optimism put her hands in front of her heart in paryer, gratitude and delight  and tilted her head laughing to the sky, just like the Laughing Yoga Frog.  The world is a perfect place, created by a perfect creator whose imagination is still unfolding.  Each bit of creation from the perfect creator is also perfect, both a piece in itself and also part of a whole.