Live Wide Open

I had the breathtaking opportunity to climb Mount Olympus on the off week. This picture exemplifies my current life in three words. Live Wide Open is a broad, slightly idealized attitude that I am striving to achieve. If we can all be as open as this depiction to what is coming our way, be it physical or emotional adventures, challenges or opportunities, it will truly be hard to fail.

Rememberance Rock

Every once in a while, we should all stop. Cease the activity and turn off the noise that floods our daily lives. Reflect. Think about our own lives – the past, the present and what is to come. Dr. Siegel has generously taken time to accompany the members of L.E.A.D Greece this summer and share her experience, wisdom, and passion for leadership, service and education and to help us to do just this.

One year while Dr. Siegel was serving as president of Kennesaw State University, she had a crazy idea, a HUGE idea. She recently read a book, entitled Remembrance Rock and thought, “Why not put a rock in the middle of this campus?“ A huge rock. A rock for reflection. A rock for remembrance. This rock would be for students and community members to literally sit upon and as themselves several questions: Who am I? Where do I come from? Where am I going? What is the meaning? How do I matter? What is my legacy? To whom to I belong? To what do I testify?

These seemingly unanswerable questions are intimidating initially, but vital to personal development and growth and must be answered, and not just answered once. As young adults we are ever changing and in the middle of a metamorphosis of self. Awareness is the first step and answering these questions can be the next in our journey to greatness. A greatness that is not determined by salary, material wealth, popularity or power but rather by unwavering moral values, positive influence, selflessness, gratitude, and the amount of love, compassion and hope we are able to share.

Maybe we all do not have daily access to a huge boulder, but a small pebble in on the desk will suffice. A small, solid reminder to keep remembering who we are and what we intend to leave behind other than the physical possessions dispersed in our wills. And every once in a while, I think we should all find a big rock and park it for a half-day. There’s one in Kennesaw if you’re looking.

Hannah Jayne