We all know that this year has been messy, to say the least, so it goes without saying that this year, more than ever, it is important for us to be the good. That being said, it can be difficult to find the necessary motivation. I have certainly felt that. More likely than not, I found myself with little motivation and few goals throughout most of the year. I felt as if every day was simply a means to an end, but then I was presented with the “Halloween XTravaganza”. Personally, Halloween has always been my favorite holiday. Something about being able to dress up, and see people’s creative sides glow has always made me feel fulfilled and deeply connected. Being able to reinvent Halloween this year filled me with that motivation that I so desperately needed. The XTravaganza allowed me to indulge in one of my main passions, which is design. I had the time of my life being able to design a life sized board game, as well as being able helping out other teams in my lab group with their designs. When the day finally came, the smiles on everyone’s faces and seeing people having fun despite the safety precautions we followed made me feel accomplished, satisfied, and all around good like a salty ocean breeze. This event truly helped me realize what being the good means to me. Being the good is to actively work to benefit people. I like to define “people” as an individual, a group, or even one’s self, and this gathering truly checked off all of those boxes for me. On multiple occasions, we had participants come to tell us how much fun they had, which filled me with gratitude, and appreciation. I would love to do another experience of this sort in the future, and I will certainly continue to be the good in any way I can.
