Katie And Her Selfless Acts

I had at least 29 different reasons why I couldn’t help with the fish-kill clean in my community after the freeze in Texas this past February. The temperature dropped dramatically, and the sea life had no time to swim to deeper, warmer waters. The result: Fish died in massive amounts. MASSIVE.

The only way to clean them out of canals was with fishing nets and buckets. I listed off all 29 reasons in my head and, really, it all came down to “because it’s gross,” which wasn’t reason enough. So, early one Saturday morning, my family and I started scooping dead fish out of the canals near our house. About 25 volunteers were at the clean, including one blonde-haired young lady, Katie, who had more energy than I could even think about mustering.

Katie didn’t seem bothered by the smell, fish slime, or how physically hard the work was. She was there to help her community. I watched her for a bit. She was cheery the whole time she worked. She reminded me of a young Audrey Hepburn, utterly selfless in her desire to help her community. Her joy was my motivation. I shoved the gross factor out of my brain and instead focused on how to be more like Katie. I would put positive energy into my work, make a change, and see the bigger picture. That day I took an honest inventory of the things I hesitate to do because I think they are gross, and I thought of Katie. This sweet spirit was ready and willing to jump in at such a young age. The world needs more Katies. She reminded me to go beyond my comfort zones, because that is where the real difference is made.