The description for the project from my proposal almost exactly matched the action plan for my citizen project. It was missing many details due to I received most of the information late in terms of turning in my proposal already. I got all of the work I would have missed that day for the project and I completed it on the day that was scheduled. I did end up coming back earlier than expected though and so I took some extra steps in order to get my work I needed for certain classes.

I worked with many different people during the project , but I don’t remember all of their names. I worked with Ms. Lapsys, Ms. Fossum, Melia Barnes, Matt Feher, Larry Hailsham, two SCA counselors, and many other students from city high. I think I will work with the SCA soon again, because I am hoping to get some sort of summer job with the organization. As for the people I doubt I will be working with them again because I will be leaving the school soon. I will be seeing Ms. Lapsys in Costa Rica for the school trip though.

I learned that its important to wear pants for removing invasive species because you don’t know what kind of area you will be working with. A good resource to have would be the conservation portion of our school that Ms. Lapsys works in. according to the student who organized this project, it may be difficult to organize a project like this. It requires planning way ahead and making sure people know every detail about the project or event before asking for help. It also takes some reliability, and sometimes finances to put certain projects together. Teamwork is very important in the process of planning and organizing an event. Most of the time taking action only requires asking. Asking is the first step to taking action in most cases.

I wonder if we will ever completely eliminate the invasive species on accident to a point where they become endangered species. This action may be finished it depends on what I will be doing with my job that I may obtain with the SCA. If the job requires me to do something similar to this action then I would be doing the action again. Since I have never taken a job I think that getting job will further my vision of human excellence. Also my experiences in college will probably further my vision of human excellence the most because of all of the different activities available to me there. I will then try to strive in each and every activity I start in college. This process has made me realize that working with people is the way to get things accomplished. Also it takes initiative and some reliance in order to organize an event like the one I took part in. Also reflecting on the action makes me look at the background of what the whole experience was like, when I was presently doing the action I never thought about all of the background elements that were taking place at the time.

In an earlier writing, I mentioned the “SKY IS FALLING” again. Instead of trying to lift up the emotions of people, we have the same doom and gloom of yesteryear. A great leader does not play on the fears of people with the doom and gloom. A great leader tries to encourage people to look for the silver lining in the clouds. When everything is always easy, do you learn any lessons? How did this great nation get where it is today? We the people make this country what it is today. What do we want to leave to our children? Do we want to leave this country better? How long did it take this country to develop to the greatness it has today? If you do not know which country I am talking about, it is, the great U.S.A.

I was reared in a great, beautiful and wonderful part of the U.S.A. As a child, I would go out for hours with a brother searching for food. We would pick berries, apples and other items for food. We could even get bark off trees. Our mother would have us gather what is considered a weed. Dandelions. Could you do that today? NO! Why?

Children are not even safe in their own homes. Why? We use to use wheels from bicycles and a stick to have fun and swing from the grape vines hanging from trees in the woods on the mountains. Yes, sometimes a child would get hurt. Poor me! We played dodgeball. WOW! A no-no today. We played with ropes to see which one could jump the highest. TRIP! Ouch! Boo-hoo! I will never play that dangerous thing again. Are you kidding?

An idea occurred to me. Why are the games played when I was young off limits today? Should we not be more concerned with illegal drugs, teenage use of alcohol, abuse or the demoralizing of this great nation?

What kind of ideas are our leaders spewing out to the young people today? If we are to accept people, why is it okay for one side to say we need to be tolerant of everyone, but yet, if you are not of the same political persuasion, we do not accept you? Idea! Look up tolerance in the dictionary if you do not understand the meaning. Does it say I will be tolerant of you, but only if you agree with me? NO! I know my beliefs will not be as many of you. This tolerance issue reminds me of the torture of Christians. You can be of any religion today, but you better not practice Christianity.

I ask my mother many years ago, “If and I say, IF there were no GOD, what would be wrong with people just being considerate of others, respecting others, helping one another, not stealing, not killing, and not coveting what someone else has?” I have always believed in GOD and I know there are many versions of beliefs and who am I to say which one is right? I was always told to let my light shine so that others may want what I have. Being a preacher or even a teacher is not me. Many times I have been told that I should become a teacher but I would fail at being wrapped up in the system so tight I would suffocate. The idea I have of being a teacher is a lot different than what the teaching positions allow today.

Getting back to the beginning of doom and gloom. I have been watching the stock market, as many of you have. I never use to pay any attention to the stock market. One day my husband (may he rest in peace) told me he watched the stock market because it affected whether he would be working, how many hours he would be working or would be on lay-off. Since I did not have any idea about the stock market and what it meant at the time, I just went on about my own way. It did not take me long after that to understand what he meant by affecting his working status. He was offered stock in the company he worked for and I began to get an idea.

When I went back to work and the company I worked for wanted to invest some of my money I earned into a plan, then I really began to understand why I should be interested in the stock market. So many members of my family have been affected tremendously by the stock market and are worried about their pensions, deferred comp, IRA’s, 401-K’s, etc..

IDEA! Let the market work. If you have ever noticed, the market goes up and it goes down. Having jobs in this country, affects the markets. Did you hear that if you go to a drive-thru and order food, you may be speaking to someone in another country instead of at the ordering area at the drive-thru window? How does that make you feel? You say, “Outsourcing”? How is this possible? I order a meal and someone in a foreign country is taking my order and not my neighbors’ teenage son or daughter. WOW!

IDEA! Let the market work. All you bright young people out there, take back your future. Use your knowledge to improve your future. You do not need someone to teach you that does not have any experience and the ability to teach. You need experienced leaders that have lived through a bad economy and have survived. Someone who has survival experience and remembers the past and will lead us away from repeating the same mistakes.

I have an idea! Ask yourself these questions, What am I looking for in life? Do I ever want to become a responsible person? Will I just stay here in this school or college for the rest of my life? Do I want anyone to look up to me someday and say, I want to be like you when I grow up? Do I ever want to get involved in what is happening in this world? Do I want to make a difference? Do I want to become so greedy that I do not care who suffers? Do I want to be the answer and not the question? Do I respect myself? Do I make decisions that will affect my future by how beautiful someone can speak on a subject? Am I educated enough about a subject to make a commitment? Do I do my homework or do I let someone else give me the answers?Who suffers if I make the wrong decision when I do not do my own homework? What affects my likes or dislikes? Do I let others tell me what to think? Am I a follower or a leader? Do you care more about the outward appearance of an individual or the character of that person?

I have always informed my grandchildren that beauty is only skin deep. Can you really tell a book by its cover? My husband (may he rest in peace) was a people watcher. Sometimes when he would take me to a store before I started driving myself everywhere I needed to go, he would sit out in the parking lot and watch people. Have you ever watched people? Do you know you are being watched? I, usually, do not pay much attention to what others are doing because I keep my eyes pealed to the children I have with me when I am out, especially, the youngest one. Why do I mention this? It is about being able to determine who you want to be your leader into the future. Beauty is only skin deep and can be misleading.

Why do you not know that in the past, beautiful women were used to entice in the spy business and other fields? It goes on today, also. Have you ever had your goat gotten? My husband (may he rest in peace) use to be able to get a persons’ goat. Once he had that person, he knew which buttons to push to get what he wanted. If you do not understand that phrase, it is the ability to gain control of your emotions in order to get you to do what that person wants you to do.

Idea! Let the market work. We do not need the government to control the market just like they took control of the social security program. Our government needs oversite but not control. If you have a business, is the government hiring your staff for you? If we have a business, we need the ability to hire people we need to help our business grow. We need the ability to hire the best and the  brightest no matter what the color of the skin or whether that person is a male or female or whether that person is of a certain political persuasion. We must have people that care about making the business grow and increase productivity. We need to create a business that makes a person feel, as if, they are part of it and we care about their ideas and input.

Idea! Let the market work. Let us strive to grow this economy by becoming what we can become. Let us get back to the days that we make this government accountable to the people. Do we want to let others determine whether we are successful or not? Are we going to sit back and let ourselves be taken over by an outside force?

Idea! Young people, do you want your parents to control your lives? Do you want your parents to control your money and tell you how to spend it? If you want your parents to control your lives, then why do you rebel? Would it not be nice to just hang around the house and let mom and dad pay all the expenses so you did not have to ever go out into the world and have to make your own way? It can be scary out there in the real world. There’s the electric bill, water bill, sewer bill, rent or mortgage, gas bill, food bill, cable or satellite bill, telephone or cellphone bill, clothing bill, shoe bill, equipment bills (lawnmowers for mowing lawns if you have a lawn, etc.), repair bills and the list goes on. Do you not want to live your own life?

Idea! Let the market work. Let us start putting leaders in place that work for us and not for their own self interest. Let us not put ourselves first but work for a greater cause so that we can leave this world a better place than the way it was when we entered. Do you want to be remembered or just pass and no one take notice?

Idea! Let the market work but do not put on blinders. Let us hold those accountable for what is happening but do not let us fail to see that the government should not be in control of the free market. How can a free market be free if it is controlled by the government?