Ivory Towers

Since I don't feel like sleeping right now and the gears in my brain are spinning, I thought this would be a good time to post my first blog entry (yay!). Recently, I actually went back to a public middle school that I attended in 7th grade, and revisiting those familiar halls made me think about ivory towers. I don't mean ivory towers in the literal sense, of course. Ivory towers meaning any privileged, affluent community. I was fortunate enough to have whatever I needed growing up, to live in a safe and pretty neighborhood, and be able to go to wonderful schools. I know that a lot of my high school friends have been in the same situation, and in fact, my school is lovingly dubbed "the episco-bubble" because it really is a bubble from the "real" world. Up until 6th grade, I was a part of a very small and caring school environment. For 7th grade, I decided to go to a public middle school. There's a long story behind why I decided to go, but the important part is that it was a HUGE culture shock to me while I was there. All my life I had been surrounded by people who lived comfortably, and suddenly, I was in an environment with people from all walks of life. From middle class to very poor. It opened my eyes to how lucky I was, how thankful I should be for what I had, and to not take anything for granted. And yes, sometimes those things are easier said than done, and sometimes we forget! I guess my moral of the story is that I think it's really healthy to come down from those ivory towers every now and then to get a feel for how a lot of people really live. Mission trips, community service, a year in a public school, whatever. It'll make you more grateful for what you already have, and that can really be a beautiful thing!