Adversity can appear for any of us at any moment. The adversities we face do not define us, but the actions we take in the face of adversity do shape us. This week, I was reminded that actions during adversity do not just mold and shape individuals, but they also provide the opportunity to shape, and shine a light on, the communities of an individual.
This story of Community begins further back in the Twitter timeline—Beth Crook’s July 22nd tweet is where we are first introduced to the #stepsforbeth call to action.
If you have never had the chance to attend InstructureCon, you may not know how big of a request this was. InstructureCon has always had golf cart shuttles, but since the move to Keystone, CO, shuttle busses have been a necessity—for both distance and elevation (9,173′). Asking people, some of which are complete strangers, to walk more than they have to at 9,000’ elevation, is a mountain of an ask.
Despite the elements, when it came to supporting one of our own, distance and elevation were no match for the sense of caring in our Community. Prior to, and throughout the conference (July 25–27, 2017), the steps rolled in. Here are just a few highlights:
July 24th:
@KRogersSA - Today I did 8,618 #stepsforbeth - walking around #InstCon is prettier than riding in a shuttle!
@KonaRJones - It's been a busy start to #InstCon! Got in 13,229 #stepsforbeth and definitely earned the extra slice of pizza at dinner!
July 25th:
@poprox_conroy - It's 6pm and I've walked 8,604 #stepsforbeth ❤️
@KRogersSA - Second day at #InstCon for me and I did 14,766 #stepsforbeth.
July 26th:
@malapertmarc - 14,102 #stepsforbeth maybe I should have taken the shuttle bus.
@lindajeanlee - Last #InstCon day step total: 15,298 steps, 150% of my daily goal! #stepsforbeth
@aggal98 - 13,164 #stepsforbeth today. Loved every single one of them! #InstCon
@erinmmilne - Did 15,386 #stepsforbeth at #InstCon today!
July 27th:
@mjennings_uab - 13,668 #stepsforbeth on the last day of #instcon
@kblundstrum - 8,976 #stepsforbeth
July 28th:
@rseilham - 38,031 steps at #instcon #stepsforbeth
@AmyWard3086 - Thursday step count 16,478 #stepsforbeth #instcon
My non-scientific calculations captured over 400,000 steps logged for Beth this InstructureCon, and those were just the ones that were tweeted with the hashtag. The caring keeps rolling in… check out #stepsforbeth on Twitter.
@BethCrook , you’re an amazing woman, with a humble heart and genuine love for those around you! Today, in my own 12,889 steps for you, I reflected on how you turned your adversity into an opportunity to unite and build up the communities that surround and support you.
Thank you for this lesson in humanity!
:smileyinfo: Keep logging your steps, and encouraging one of our own! Tweet them, or add them as a comment to this thread! Beth, we look forward to following your progress!
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