Stars & Sushi: Part 2

 

This year it is was easy to be overwhelmed by the beautiful parts of the country that we come from. But these simply pale in comparison to the beauty that’s you. The world we live in does take my breath away, but there is nothing that leaves me more in awe than people.

Oh, how this family makes my heart smile. This year our team had the chance to travel to Japan, and this was my host family while we were there. While in Japan we learned how to introduce ourselves in Japanese "Watashi no nama awah Bethany Bohnenblust des," experienced the Asian culture, ate lots and lots of sushi, and had the thrill of riding on the subway and having no idea what anyone else was saying. One afternoon we had the chance to go and actually hang out with a FFJ chapter, Future Farmers of Japan. We listened as they welcomed us in and taught us the FFJ dance-it was hecka sweet!

The day's festivities concluded with meeting our host families. I went home with this fabulous family, with huge smiles, lots of questions, and not a word of spoken English. The first night I cried myself to sleep as I just wanted to be with my own family. I wanted a hot shower, to sleep in a warm bed, wear clean clothes, and to eat something that wasn't raw. The next day I was straight up miserable, thinking only of what I wanted. I wanted to get back to my own home and was desperate to be back around people like who I could understand.

The second night Tomanai, my host sister, had invited a couple of her friends over for a slumber party. Using a Japanese/English dictionary, I asked if I could help make dinner-sushi of course. As I began to learn from these girls how to take an ordinary bowl of rice and turn it into an extraordinarily beautiful meal of sushi, I looked up and realized how selfish I had been. I was speechless.

No, they weren't like my family and I wasn't in my own home-but they had gone our of their way to make me feel special. They made me 'American' coffee for breakfast-a sure way to my heart, the sister had moved our of her room to give me her bed, the grandfather and mother made me handmade gifts, and the dad gave me a hand-written note saying his family was forever my family.

Once I quit thinking about me and let myself see how amazing these people were, I fell in love with them. It wasn't them who needed to change; I needed to shift my perspective.

When has your selfishness been a hindrance? When you weren't selected the MVP of your sport team? When someone took your vied for parking spot? When your alarm went off a little early this morning? Or what about when you became the jealous boyfriend or girlfriend? We all definitely have our moments, but what could happen if we were willing to shift our perspective?

When I chose to set aside my selfish thinking we had a slumber party not soon to be forgotten full of lots of pictures, origami lessons, and me sharing with those girls American pop music and high fives.

Speaking of high-fives, check this out: hold out your hand as if to give a high five. In one human hand there are 29 bones, 34 muscles, and 48 nerves. On square inch of skin about the size of your thumbnail has over 19,000 skin cells in it.

Yeah, that's pretty deep science lesson, but if I would have been viewing my host family as this unbelievable creation of science and beauty the entire time, I wouldn't have been viewing them in anything but awe.

People don't leave us in awe just because of their scientific backing but because of the great things you do in this world. I keep a little red book. This book was started in Tennessee last January. In it I capture down people who are living our their passions and the purpose they were created for.

Here are a few of people I met: 

• I'm in awe of the work ethic I witnessed in brothers Dalton and Austin from Housatonic Valley, Connecticut. They work harder on their family's dairy than anyone else their age I've ever met. They have already invested more in their family business in hours and resources than more businessmen ever will.
• I'm in awe of the hearts for service I observed. Kendall, a state officer from Georgia, has created a Facebook page as part of her service project at WLC to remind girls how beautiful they are. Check it out on Facebook 'Fearfully and Wonderfully Made.'
• And I'm in awe of the attitudes I saw. The Michigan State Officer team has found an incredible way to serve this year. On member shared with me how to live with KIP. K-I-P, standing for keep it positive. How awesome is that!

Living in awe doesn't stop at just seeing this amazingness around you. It's about respecting these people more. Showing the same respect to the 6.8 billion other people that we share this world with that we ourselves want. It means going up to a competitor and congratulating them even when they beat you. It means respecting our parents and guardians even when we don't feel like it. It means saying thank you to the FFA advisors and sponsors who brought us to National convention this week.

When we're focused on everyone else around us, we're not thinking about ourselves. Eating sushi with my host family taught me to live in awe of others. This world it's not about me and you.

The reality of how much more beautiful and pleasing life is when we're not on the throne, but instead humbled before it has forever changed my life.

My relationships have different intentions, actions are strategic, a purpose reigns, and my person top priority-God-never wavers.

Every single day I wake up in awe at what we get to experience, where we call home in this country, in awe of the difference you make in your communities, but most importantly this last year I've been left in awe of you. Friends, you have blessed me. You have taught me about what joy there is in being small.

A person who lives in awe knows we can never have too much humility, too much faith, too much belief in a greater purpose, to much clarity, or too much zeal in doing good to others. So let us continuously be laying our own plans aside and being pushed forth to other.

A movie about this world wouldn't have anything to do with you and me. We simply get to be supporting actors and extras to the real glory to be given.

Stars and sushi have taught me about my rightful position on this earth. Where have you placed yourself?

I'm not asking any of us to be perfect at this. We can't be. I am asking for us to think beyond ourselves to commit tonight to seeing beyond this world of population one. As you leave Conseco Fieldhouse look up at the night sky and be reminded of how small we are. Start a conversation with the person next to you and be left in awe of their gifts.

It is promise that favor will be shown to the humble. If not the here-and-now it's guaranteed in the next.

By living in awe we see the universe and its people in an entirely new way. We can be humbled at what we get to be a part of. Be a part of the bigger picture. Go live in awe!