Alexander Lilly
I awoke to the faint sound of birds chirping. The beautiful golden morning sunbeams sneaking a glance through the clouds reminded me of a new beginning and all the wonder that was about to unfold. My ride was a quiet one. I am not a morning person, so I used the ride to let my brain fully wake up so that I was as present in the moment as possible. I arrived at a large open field surrounded by woods in almost every direction. A cool gentle breeze danced through the trees and filled the air with a sense of excitement and anticipation of what was to come. I quickly began helping with the setup as the organizers mapped out what the day would look like. Although it seemed like a bit of a daunting task the teamwork between staff and the volunteers made light work of the entire setup process. Before I knew it the event had started, and we went from waiting for families to arrive to being flooded with people from all walks of life coming together to reach a common goal; raise money and have fun! The day was filled with so much joy and entertainment. From the laughs, of the children running around the property playing with one another to the parents working their hardest to find the balance between having a good time themselves and keeping an eye on their little ones. There was great food, great music, and it all contributed to a euphoric atmosphere of kindness and giving back.
I truly believe that doing any kind of charity inherently benefits our society. Much like when you dip your finger into a bowl of water and the entire water is moved. I believe that the same happens when we give back to others. We are raised to give without the expectation of receiving anything in return. In my opinion that is the best way to approach it. Those we help are not under any obligation to return the favor and often they are not able to do so even if they wanted to. However, I do think that there is both a direct and indirect benefit for us that comes from giving. Firstly, there is often an indescribable feeling one gets from helping others. A mixture of happiness for the person receiving the benefit of our help, the pride in being able to offer it, and the relief of knowing for a moment someone’s needs have been fulfilled and for a short period of time, they have one less thing to worry about. But I believe there is also the indirect benefit of modeling this behavior for others, particularly children. When we show them how to give back, we improve their character and give them the opportunity to do the same for others for the rest of their lives. By instilling this in future generations we create a ripple effect that never truly ends.
The most significant thing the walk reminded me of was the value of human connection. This was the first major event I personally participated in since the start of the pandemic. I had grown comfortable with working from my home. The commute to work is much shorter, with much less traffic. My work attire budget was drastically reduced because I only had to be work appropriate from the waist up. Plus, the savings on gas was hard to beat! I am naturally an introverted person so the concept of staying in my home for most of my day was far from upsetting for me. What I did not anticipate was how much I would miss face-to-face human interaction.
Whether we want to admit it or not, humans are social creatures. We thrive in environments where we are connected and able to work together towards a common goal. Although I thought I was coming to help C.A.R. raise money to better support our families. I quickly learned that I wasn’t there just to pour into others but also so that others could pour into me. The feelings of joy and satisfaction I received from being around so many happy people are something I will truly never forget.
ASD: Promises To Keep 