This week was a pretty slow one for the NICU. I didn’t have too many visitors come through, but I did get one family with three kids who came to visit. The kids must have all been under 7 years old, and the family was coming to visit newborn twins. Yup, five kids. The dad and kids all stayed in the lobby and waited around while the mom went to visit the babies. The kids were adorable! When I came back from lunch, the kids were playing while the dad was watching TV. The one boy, who was probably three or four years old, was especially interested in me. He kept waving and smiling from across the room, which made me smile as I waved back for about five minutes straight. Then, he decided to keep saying “hi!” to me and slowly got closer and closer to my desk until they had to leave, and the family joked about him being a big flirt. I waved goodbye and smiled because that little kid made my day. The TED talk “Everyday Leadership” opened my eyes to how much impact a simple moment could have on your view of the world and perspective on life. I try to provide “lollipop moments” for other people as often as possible. We may never know what little compliment or piece of advice may inspire something bigger in another person. I try my best to make the lives of others around me better, whether it be those of my closest friends or strangers I’ll never see again. A moment that really sticks out to me was on my senior night this volleyball season. The underclassmen got each senior a framed group picture and wrote little notes on the outside of the picture about us and our impact on them over the course of our time together. I cried reading the things that the younger girls wrote to me; they were things that validated my efforts to be a leader and role model and I was so proud of myself at that moment. To this day, I get teary-eyed just thinking about that picture because of how much it represents to me. I don’t think any of those girls will truly understand just how much they mean to me, and continue to inspire me to be a leader every day. When I find myself struggling to find a reason to keep working hard and putting in so much effort to what I do, this picture reminds me of just a few reasons why it's all worth it.
2 Comments
Jonathon
1/22/2017 11:47:13 pm
It is amazing how a sport can bring people so close. They are more than teammates, they are family, and that is the greatest feeling in the world!
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Candela
1/23/2017 07:16:28 am
Wow! I pictured my kids smiling and waving at you, as you shared your story. Isn't it amazing to know that these small lollipop moments can make such a difference?
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Natalie S.I am a senior at Lake Shore High School and I go to Macomb Community College through the Early College program. I play volleyball, basketball, and softball, and I will play softball at Hillsdale College next year. Archives
May 2017
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