It begins...

My hamster, Ferdinand, died this weekend. I came back from a week in Boston to find him. I was very sad. I am tempted to reflect here about life and death, but I've got something else to talk about.

Today was a new beginning. We started back at our office located in Timberland's headquarters in Stratham, NH. It is good to be back. The office and the drive is all so familiar, but there is also a different air to this year. We are all back here to start fresh and we are all inspired (dare I say idealistic) enough to do it.

We talked a lot today about big picture stuff, which I like. We talked about our roles for this year and the sites general goals. We also each chose a practice to be in charge of this year. They ranged from very City Year phrases, like "It takes a village" which means we all have to take care of each other to simple things like "Encourage creativity". I chose one that states "Celebrate and share small successes" which basically just means that I want to make sure that everyone feels appreciated this year. It is hard when I am in the midst of something, like planning a service project, to stop and remember to celebrate but it is really the key to getting through.

I have also been thinking about some things I want to work on this year. I have never been the official leader of a group, so I am very excited to see what comes out leading a team a five corps members in my school. I feel like I have lots of good ideas but putting them into practice is going to be a challenge. Along with that, I want to work on my self confidence in large groups...including public speaking. I feel like I could be good at it, I just get really nervous even talking to a small group. Practice? So I want to challenge myself in this area.

There are other challenges, but those are the two that come to mind right now. I'll let you know how it goes.

Peace.