This I Believe

I believe in trying to live everyday like it was your last. Trying to have a good day should be your goal everyday, because that is what will make you have a good outlook on life. Dwelling on the past or the future is a waste of time and isn’t going to help anyone else have a better day. Some people can have a good day no matter what, and I really respect those people because their trying to make the world a better place.

Every year I counselor at a camp called “Camp Firefly” in Atlanta, Georgia during the summer for about a week and a half. Every year the head of the Camp chooses between 5-6 families to come to Atlanta to take part in the camp that is in Callaway Gardens. The kids that are chosen for this camp unfortunately all have a terminally ill disease. These kids could lose their lives at anytime which is why the head of the camp likes to try to give them a week they will remember forever. Their families also get to come because they haven’t had an easy life living out of a suitcase in a hospital or wondering when their child might leave them. Everyone comes one night on a huge bus and we try to welcome them into the camp. On that night we show them their villa which is where they live for the week and we just try to help them move in. The next day you get to meet the children and the families. Their stories and their attitudes toward life are truly inspiring and they pick up your spirits and give you a better outlook life.

These kids could go day to day sad or angry about their lives but they don’t. They don’t let the tragedies of life bring them down or let it bring down the people around them. The fact that they have a disease doesn’t hold them back from playing videogames, swimming, hanging out with friends, being apart of the community, or taking part in some school activities. These kids appreciate life more than kids who don’t have diseases, because they don’t let anything bring them down.

I believe we can learn so much from these kids and their families. Their parents have to live in a hospital for long periods of time, and their siblings have to understand that their brother or sister is going to get a lot more attention and special treatment. These families could let the fact that their son, daughter, sister, or brother could leave them at any time change the way they live their life but, they don’t. They just try to make the most of the time they have, and always have a good day.