The Colonel said, “Don’t be afraid to shake things up a bit, kid – even if it’s just in a small way. You don’t have to change the world but work to change the world around you.”
When I was in junior high school, we were stationed at Wright Patterson AFB and living in a suburb of Dayton, OH, called Beavercreek. My school’s science club hosted an annual canoe trip into Canada. This was a very exciting concept for me. It would be something I could do that no one in my family had ever done. I was totally on board with the idea!
My folks agreed to split the cost of the trip with me, so I spent a year taking on extra jobs, babysitting, and cleaning neighbors’ houses until I earned the money I needed, plus some extra for spending money on the trip. When I went in to register, though, I was told the trip was only for boys. I was devastated and outraged at the same time. Dad told me, “We can fight this if you want to, kid. We may not win, but we can certainly shake things up a little. But you need to know that it may make you unpopular with the boys for a while.” I didn’t care. I had worked hard to earn the money, and I knew I could hold my own with any of those boys around a campfire.
We did fight it. And we won. I was the first girl to go on the science club’s annual canoe trip. The following year, they expanded the trip to offer the opportunity to ten boys and ten girls. Five girls went that year, and the science club’s canoe adventure has been at full capacity ever since. I didn’t change the world by insisting I should be allowed to go on that canoe trip, but we did shake things up a bit in Beavercreek, OH – and maybe made a little bit of progress for junior high school girls along the way.
How can you shake things up a bit and make others rethink their perspective? You don’t have to change the world. Work to change the world around you.
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