As I think about writing my first blog ever, as I wrap my head around the word “blog” and I think of how strange that word still sounds to me, I can’t help but hear these same words swirl around in my mind : “I’m so busy, how will I have time to write this? I just can’t add this or that onto my plate right now, I am soooooooo busy.”

I think back to all of the times that I have wanted to get involved in various initiatives, but I have just been too busy. It is so much easier to say that and to move on, than it is to decide to commit to something, and to have to follow through.

Then I recall last summer, when Erika approached me about being on the Board for ISEE. She asked if I would be interested in this idea, and she said that she would really like to have me “on board”. I said that I would be honoured, but that I don’t have a lot of time to do a lot of extra big things.” So there I was, going down the “I’m too busy” road that I seem to travel so often, with one of my dearest friends. She stopped me by saying: “Brenna, it would mean so much to me to have you be a part of this, and you simply give what you can, as you have the time. There are so many little things that can be done that are just as important as the big ones.” And there it was: the first moment where someone took the overwhelming task of agreeing to be a part of something, and broke it down into more comfortable parts.

Life gets busy. That’s a fact. I can’t see that changing. But it feels so right to have finally committed to being a part of something outside of my own “normal”. It is so inspiring to have been a part of our first fundraising event: The Toonie Toy Sale. By breaking this event down into “many little parts” to achieve our end goal of making the Toy Sale a reality, we were able to appeal to the community at large and we were successful.

I truly feel that the majority of people are like me. They want to be a part of something great, but that “something” often seems too huge to grab onto. ISEE has recognized this and, since you are here, reading this amazing blog post, you should check out our website in its entirety. We have broken things down into palatable parts. We have outlined the initiatives we are supporting, and you can decide which of those initiatives you would like to support if you so choose. If you would prefer not to donate in a monetary sense, please let us know if you’d be interested in volunteering your time at any of our upcoming fundraisers.

There are so many little things, little ideas, little acts that can help us achieve the bigger things. I am so thankful that I chose to take a new step, to give what I can, so that I can help ISEE as we move forward in Investing in Sustainability, Education, and Empowerment.