Pebbles for Rebels
At the 2023 Speaker Slam® Grand Slam, the Inspirational Speaking Finals held at CBC Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto, Samantha Plavins delivered “Pebbles for Rebels”.
Transcript
have you ever experienced Joy guilt I know that sounds weird right how many of us want to feel good but have you ever sabotaged a moment of Joy because you were overwhelmed with Shame about it hi on October 7th my plane touched down in am man Jordan and I couldn't wait to meet the six Brave women who'd come for a twoe hiking Adventure on one of National Geographic's most epic Trails led by by me because I am a joy Whisperer of sorts I have successfully followed the magical three-step formula for a joy-filled life step one admit that you're unhappy and quit your job step two
become an entrepreneur because we all know that's a guaranteed beeline to Joy and step three spend your days inspiring others to follow in your footsteps for the past few years I'd considered myself a professional Joy Seeker as the official hiking Maven of my company she walks the walk leading small groups of women on hiking Adventures to the most far-flung places and 6 weeks ago after 28 hours of travel I excitedly deed something in my bones told me that this adventure would be the most epic one yet and I was right but not in the way that I had thought as I headed to customs and
connected my phone to Wi-Fi it started blowing up Sam are you safe aren't you canceling the trip you got to get out now girl there I was trkking Po's backpack welcome Banner in hand a kind of proud mother hen eager to greet all my joy seeking chicks imagining gorgeous W rum Vistas and Unforgettable camel rides what we hadn't imagined was war breaking out just 147 km away war that word sucked all the joy out of the moment like a vacuum anxiety swirled in my head could tensions escalate and spell into Jordan would I be putting the women in any kind of potential danger could we
end up stuck here after some reassurance from the Jordanian tourism board we decided to carry on with our hike but that's how it began against a backdrop of a war torn Middle East I felt a responsibility to keep Spirits High despite knowing that this trip was no longer about finding Joy because I was grappling with the unrelenting guilt that asked Joy how dare we but we came to Jordan to walk so oh my God Walk we did we'd reach Petra after four days of sweating buckets our Indiana Jones moment felt surreal but what I won't forget is a moment I shared with an older bedan
woman she was selling magnets and other trinkets but that's not what drew me in it was her face all lined and wrinkled like a map each telling the story of a life that had been hard but her eyes so soft and kind she invited me for tea on her carpet and I swear we had an entire conversation without using any words her name was umfi one night we sheltered from a battering storm in our tents the world outside was seemingly holding its breath much like we were praying for a peaceful night and in the midst of that uncertainty we heard it heaw if you're not
sure that's a donkey Rahal our little support donkey bless him United the entire camp in laughter and days later still deeply conflicted I skipped a belly dance show to sit in silence on a rock high above our camp but the music drifted up so I turned and looked back hundreds of C candles had been lit in the surrounding caves below and something glittering caught my attention in the flicker of all that light pile of tiny Pebbles I scooped them up they were like little jewels of Joy I had collected on my trip and I gave each one a name om Mafi Ral are heong donkey
spontaneous laughter peaceful candles Joy was not hard to find if we aren't careful our guilt will cast a dark shadow on our happiness We Fear being toned deaf or insensitive to the suffering around us but joy is not a zero suome game feeling joy in a world burned by pain is an act of Courage it dares us to see the good amidst the chaos and we become Warriors not armed with weapons but with gratitude and unwavering determination to have hope so be a rebel collect your Pebbles name them and have the audacity to let them shine thank
Transcript generated from the recording and lightly cleaned. Some names and wording may differ from the spoken speech.
