At CMU we have an annual event called Winter Week of Welcome. We have a full slate of events planned for the students. Today, it was Wellness Wednesday.
We had one of the meeting spaces in the main building designated as a relaxation room with Himalayan salt lamps, a powerpoint with peaceful images, and had mediative music playing. Also, in the room was a masseuse giving 10-min chair massages. Outside of the room, we had green dot set up at a table five out porcelain mugs, and informing passerbys about Green Dot and power based sexual violence. The SLICE office had a table set up with coloring pencils and information about “Headspace.” We also had giant 24×36 adult coloring pages for students to come up and color. We had this company come who is called Wheely Good Smoothies. They have you spin your own smoothie. You pedal the bike and the bike pedaling blends the smoothie! I asked one of the guys working the bikes if I could please have a smoothie? I just didn’t want to work for it! They all laughed and one of them handed me a smoothie.
Towards the middle of the event, I got my first 10 min-chair massage. I didn’t want to get up. I told her she could do that all day.
At one point in the day, one of the security guards was walking his bike through the all the activities, and talking to people as he passed by. He approached me and said, “And what are you passionate about?” Now I never have been asked that question. I never even met this guy before. I said, “Wow I don’t now. You know what. I am not sure.” I can think of several things I enjoy, but not really sure what I am PASSIONATE about. I said, “I am going to have to think about that. because there are several things I enjoy, and that I like, but I am not sure what exactly it is that I am passionate about.” I asked him if he was going to be at the coffee with the cops event the next day (because he was a security guard) I told hi mI would had an answer for him then.
That question plagued me all day. Why was It so hard to give an answer?
After CMU, I went home got a shower, ate dinner, and worked on somethings for an event that is happening at RMU on Monday. I touched based with Nelle. Then I read for Ethics, and prepared for the next day.
When Drew came home, we chatted about his day, and his class. I asked him that plaguing question, “What are you passionate about?” He said, “My love for you.” I smiled and said, “Damn, why didn’t I think of that. I could have said that! My marriage. Of course that is one of the things I am passionate about, and my love for Andrew, but what am I passionate about? I thought about it some more and I thought authenticity. I am passionate about being authentic. I strive to make a conscious choice to be authentic everyday. I strive to stay true to myself and what I want. Yeah, authenticity, that’s my answer.
That evening, we started watching the Netflix documentary series Inside the Mind of Aaron Herenandez. I am very interested in athletes and student-athletes are my research interest so any way I can gain better insight into them the good or the bad will help me find ways to help them and support them better.
