Day 10

August 25, 2014

There is an old story about two men – one who built his house on the sand and another who built his on the rock. As the story goes, the man who built his house on the sand was rather arrogant. After all, he did own beachfront property. He often looked down on his neighbor who owned a humble abode among the rocks. Despite what his neighbor believed, this man was content, and so both were quite happy until one night when a great storm rolled in from the sea. The house on the sand was demolished by the giant waves and the powerful winds. But the house on the rocks stood strong through the storm.

When I first applied to ECOEE, I was like the man who built his house upon the sand – maybe not quite as superior in mindset – but I definitely felt like I had a solid foundation of leadership skills and enough outdoor living experience to get me through ECOEE. It would be a challenge, but nothing I couldn’t handle. And to a certain extent, I think we all felt this way. We thought we had what it takes, no questions asked. But the storm that greeted me upon the beginning of this expedition quickly proved me wrong. I was tossed and turned by overwhelming waves and, in the end, I found my house was gone, destroyed. I would have to begin again from scratch.

Luckily, I am not as forsaken as the man in the story. I am not alone. I have ten fellow expedition members, a caring graduate assistant and one sarcastic, yet well-intentioned professor, all of whom want to see me succeed, and are willing to help and encourage me every step of the way. They are here to help me rebuild. As we started our lessons today, I know we are building our own kingdom, humble as it may be, along the rocks.

Jillian Ross