You know that warm fuzzy feeling you get when you hold the door open for someone and they genuinely thank you? The two of you share this moment of pure bliss and satisfaction. These instances in our lives are always wonderful and oddly significant, but to be blunt, they are few and far between. We all spend a lot of time complaining about school work or crying over broken relationships. We all spend money buying the latest season of Grey's Anatomy on DVD or going to dinner with friends (splitting the check of course). We all spend too much time going out and getting wasted on the weekends or primping ourselves to perfection to chase down our newest "beautiful" love interest. Why? I have no idea. But I do know that we're all a bunch of selfish idiots. Now don't go running to the bathroom, look at your reflection and burst into tears because you are just now realizing how little you've contributed to this world. Instead read on and be inspired...
I had seen James Orrigo sing during Open Mic Night at James Madison University's Taylor Hall a few times. His happy-go-lucky attitude and willingness to make people smile was enchanting. So naturally I deemed myself "obsessed" with his talents. There is one song that James sings that everyone who is anyone knows (that may be a slight exaggeration). It's called Boat Shoes. It's upbeat, fun and delightful! But what stole my heart was The Bear Grylls Roar. Before this song James asked the audience to approach the stage. He walked through the crowd with a huge smile on his face handing out glow sticks. My friend Katie and I had absolutely no idea what we were getting ourselves into. Turns out we got to participate in THE COOLEST audience interactive song/tribute to Bear Grylls. You can watch the video here, I'm the disgustingly lanky blonde in the front & Katie is to my left in purple. As the semester continued I got to see James sing a few more times and saw him from across the way on campus once or twice. It wasn't until just before Thanksgiving Break that I found out what a truly extraordinary individual he is. He had set up a station (again in Taylor Hall) for people to sit down and write thank you cards for every single dining services worker. No joke, he had gotten a list of all the names. So I sat down with my friends Katie & Amanda and wrote thank you card after thank you card. Turns out I really had no idea who James Orrigo was.
The words "Lad In A Battle," are what James goes by when he preforms; they also serve as an inspirational kindness movement he jump started. Those words can't even begin to do it justice but I am struggling to come up with ones that do. It started with just James. Just James playing music and singing to make people smile, because like he says, "everyday's a struggle." Today its a MOVEMENT with a team, a leader, and a purpose. What James preaches is simple. We are all lads (or lasses) in a battle, and that battle is life. Everyday is a struggle so let's battle it with kindness. It serves as a reminder that taking just a moment to do something for someone else really only takes, just a moment. My initial reaction was, I suppose, typical. I thought that all of this was great and exhilarating but intimidating. How did James really get people to participate in this when approaching someone random can be so scary, no matter what your intentions are? Then I found out about the shirts. When you buy a LAD in a Battle shirt (all proceeds go to Make A Wish Foundation) you are officially initiated into the LAD team. When I bought my shirt, I sat there with James and we just talked. About everything. His passion and readiness to affect peoples' lives even in a small way really puts things into perspective. Understanding James' mission, makes you realize that there's nothing to be afraid of or nervous about. I'm happy to be a part of the LAD movement and look forward to being a part of its future.
LADS FOR LIFE.. YA DIG?!
Check out the Lad In A Battle website here. You can also find it by searching Lad In A Battle/James Orrigo on Facebook.
