In my Relief Society lesson today we were urged to step outside of our comfort zone in order to grow. I got thinking to the times in my life when I did this in hopes that I can begin to replicate it in my current life. Because for some reason when you move back home, your comfort zone becomes much the same as it was when you last lived here, ie. high school. Thinking about this brought me back to my journey through folk dance.
When I started folk dance, I was so nervous to go to club nights that I got nearly physically ill and emotional in the crowded room of people dancing that I did not know. I've always had a difficult time with large crowds and the prospect of them was terrifying. As I progressed in the program I knew more and more people, so the large group seemed smaller and more friendly. But there came a point in my progression in the program where I decided to look for those dancers who looked like I was before I became comfortable at club nights.
In addition to this, I was a TA for lots of folk dance classes at BYU. In fact, the last couple of years in my time at BYU it seems that I had been the TA for the majority of people in the folk dance program at least once. In this role I did not just attend class and demonstrate at the front of the classroom. Being a future teacher and someone who is passionate about dance, I gave one-on-one help (inside and outside of class), I gave encouragement and pep talks, and I tried my best to remember names, even after I wasn't their TA anymore.
In all of these situations, I came to grow as a person. I came to love people more and work harder and be better than I thought I could be. Those who I helped had personal triumphs in which I shared their joy, and I thought, this is my payment for helping them.
And it was more than enough. But it wasn't all.
Last week I visited Provo for some time with some of my dearest friends and I decided to drop in on a folk dance workshop. I walked in and saw so many people I had worked with and felt joy at their progression in the program. But that wasn't all. I was then assaulted with hugs the entirety of my stay at the workshop. So many people I had helped came over and showed that they cared about what was happening in my life, that they were happy I was there, and that they loved me. I was overwhelmed, not realizing how long-lasting the fruits of service could be. And little did they know that the tables were now turned and they were serving me. They were reminding me that there are many people who love me, who care about me, who think I'm a great person.
So it seems to me, that I need to be grateful to be a subject of gratitude. Service, as it turns out, is like karma. It all comes back to you.
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