The Rainbow Connection

"Have you been half asleep and have you heard voices?
I've heard them calling my name.
Is this the sweet sound that called the young sailors.
The voice might be one and the same.
I've heard it too many times to ignore it.
It's something that I'm supposed to be." -The Rainbow Connection, Kermit the Frog

I've had a few revelations and reflections lately that are helping to bring me back to me...or at least the person I want to be. This song came on my MP3 player this morning and it made me smile...it reminded me of the little person inside of me who believes in Kermit the Frog's words of imagination, dreaming big and living those imaginations and dreams out. As I wave at the 1/2 way point of my JV year while it passes by; I think back to why I joined JVC in the first place. I didn't just join so I could "make a difference" but I wanted to feel that difference. I wanted to be a witness to God on earth and be a friend to those who have very few. I wanted to dream and imagine big and act on that. I wanted to be part of that dream and spawn others to want to be part of that dream too.

I think in my year and a half as a JV, I have begun to lose that initial drive that brought me here. I have seen myself grow and change in good ways, but as I sit with the person I am now, I feel like I have forgotten about the Rainbow Connection. Between the huge battles I fight with my guests, seniors or children from last year or the stubborn co-workers, government employees or council members, I have gotten bogged down in the survival mode instead of the dreamer mode.

I think the important thing a JV brings to a non-profit is the dreamer mentality. The people or children we work with/for are caught in the survival mode of life (justifiably so) and it is a beautiful gift we offer as JVs to provide opportunities to dream. Some guests have been homeless for 20+ years, but I think it is the breath of fresh air a volunteer corps member brings to their lives that can help motivate them to end the chronic homelessness they've been experiencing.

I want to avoid burnout, not because I fear being tired or worn out, but because I fear the loss of the dreamer. I fear the bigger implications it may have on my guests. Once my inner dreamer dies, who is left to imagine and dream big? It is not just Kermit the Frog's mentality, but it should be mine as well...to at least strive to embrace and encourage that inner imaginier, dreamer and lover.

"Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection. The lovers, the dreamers and me." -The Rainbow Connection, Kermit the Frog