Greeter - New Rotarian Dree Miller
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Adriane Miller is originally from Curitiba, Brazil and she lives in The Woodlands, Texas. She is an English-Portuguese freelance translator and interpreter. She has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, a postgrad in International Trade and also certified as advanced level instructor in Brazil. In the United States, she studied Therapeutic Massage and obtained national certification. She has taken Psychology classes at Sam Houston State University. Adriane volunteered for over three years managing a non-profit organization that worked with education and cultural integration of Brazilian children and adults in the United States. She is currently in the team of volunteer translators for TED videos. She enjoys traveling, learning about different cultures, reading, making mosaics, exercising, making and editing videos. She is involved in the local community and manages a book club, a movie club and a canasta club. Adriane previously lived in Brazil, Japan, New York City and Portland, Oregon.The Rotary Net
We hear and see that the world is becoming a difficult place to live and sometimes we don’t feel safe, and we grow worried. We see our planet trying to balance itself on a rope, we don’t want it to fall, but we sometimes feel too small to do something about it. We want it to be better, but we look for ways and can’t find any. It can be too complex to sort out what to look for when we look for answers within ourselves, but keep going about our lives the same way as always. It’s like looking for a key to a locked door when even the door is unreachable. That’s when we need to lift our heads higher and look outside to the world around us. We must believe we can solve it, and we can, if we start small. We cannot flick our fingers and say, “from now on I am Mother Teresa”, but we all have the ability to at least smile to a person who needs some support in a hard day.
It may be that a neighbor or colleague needs attention. It may be that a whole family needs our attention or that the planet needs our attention. There is always somebody who does. Sometimes we should stop worrying so much about what we need, what we don’t have, and focus on what others need. We should tackle the little things first and overlook the overwhelming feeling caused by the problems of the world. And then we see the key to unlock that door: compassion for others and desire do to good.
We all need each other. Empathy is not always easy, but it can be practiced in small steps. Today you let the person pass in front of you in line instead of running to be in front. Tomorrow you help someone carry their bags. And it’s not always what you do, but also what you think. Our minds play a huge part in what we see and get from the world. Instead of thinking the worse about the driver who you off, wish them well in your thoughts. It doesn’t mean you are superior to that person, but you are more considerate and also you will be accumulating much less tension by the end of the day. This will become more natural the more you do it.
We can find the key to improving our lives by observing what can be done to make someone else’s life better. Little things here and there add up. And they are contagious. If more people live by this principle, soon we will have a large group of people who occupy themselves with doing something for someone.
Seeing ourselves as part of an organization that works together, and making sure all its parts are well connected is one of the most rewarding ways to attain individual enrichment.
We subscribe to different organizations, societies or nets. As social creatures, the stronger the net we built around us the stronger and happier we become. A good net cannot be woven with the weak thread of selfishness. If we build our lives taking instead of giving, we can’t expect to achieve our goals in any meaningful way as human beings. We are what we give to the world.
I believe Rotary is an altruistic net that is being woven with the multitalented hands of great people in the world. These hands that keep working, teaching and encouraging others to do the same are a promise that the world can be a better place both physically and ethically. It’s the strongest safety net that the planet can fall into. I am honored to be a new member of this net, the Rotary e-Club of Houston, and I hope my mind and hands can do their best to make this planet a better place.