Why I won't be doing the #icebucketchallenge

It seems that you can not get awy from the hype and awareness raised by ALS in their 'Ice Bucket Challenge'. It's all over every news feed and it's a great way of seeing people unite together in something that is both fun and charitable. 

My brothers were both nominated and made some very entertaining videos. It's all good fun and part of me would like to try to match their standard, however, I feel that I have to stick to my guns. 

Yesterday, my brother nominated me for the 'Ice Bucket Challenge' and, as you've probably gathered, I will not be taking part. 

Now, I don't want to be a fun sponge or hypocritical, but I thought that it would be important to talk about what bothers me about pouring a bucket of cold water on your head. 

I want to start by saying that I think that ALS holds a good objective: the facilitation of people affected by the motor neurone disease. I know that some ethical issues regarding animal testing have been raised about the charity but what I want to talk about today is the awareness campaign itself. 

Perhaps it's because I am currently in Dubai, a city that pours so much money and energy into the desalination of water. This is a process that is costly, damaging to the oceans that surround the UAE and has an impact on green house gas emissions. 

With this knowledge and perhaps even without it, it is so important to realise how fortunate we are. For every one of us that has access to clean running water, so many people don't. 

It is, looking at the scene from a large, a huge waste of water. It's hard to imagine what it might be like not to have water but, if you are able to, imagine that you are starving. Imagine that you have not had enough food to eat for the last week and have no idea when the next meal will come. You are dependent upon rain that does not arrive and soil that is far beyond infertile. And then you see a picture of people in neighbouring countries, throwing vast amount of spaghetti bolognese around in a global food fightand stuffing their trousers with as many slices of bread that can fit, then nominating others to do it too. 

This situation isn't the same but it's very similar. 

Yes, it's true that the water will evaporate into its natural cycle and that we aren't technically throwing away water but the toll that it takes on the environment to give us back drinkable water comes at a large cost. 

So, I suppose what I'm saying is just that we should all remember that we are fortunate to have water and try to conserve it. 

BUT, please remember that I don't frown upon people who have completed the ice bucket challenge. If we were all like me, this would be some awareness campaign and ALS would have fundraised considerably less. 

I am aware of how much water I waste daily on showers and washing up and whatever else. And so I'm not saying that I don't. But in the ways that we can, I believe that we should make a difference and change our habits because, if not us, then who? 

It has been fun to watch the challenges and I think everyone should be proud but, from my personal standpoint, I wanted to stick with an opinion that I am passionate about. The world needs opinions and it depends on all of us to be different. 

I will be accepting the donation part of the challenge, however, in doing what I can for a charity that does remarkable work for people all around the world and that is WaterAid. 

So, I nominate everyone reading, sharing and liking this post to take time to think about the water that they use today. I also nominate you to do something good for charity and to stand up for what you believe in. 

"What have you done to-day to make you feeeeeeeel proud"

It's so easy to say: "WOAH! That was so inspiring!" but it's so much harder to act upon it.

I heard about Stephen's Story a few days before my 19th birthday in April. I clicked on his page and saw a pioneer - someone who was desperate to live life, to help others and have fun whilst doing it.

I began to read profusely about him, typing his name into Google and finding everything about who this incredible teenager was. What I saw written on various webpages was that he was a 19 year old with incurable cancer. What I read in my mind that he was the same age as me.

This birthday, I did something I've never done before. Every birthday, after presents and cake and, sometimes, a party my birthday is over. That's it and life just goes on. Birthdays are just markers: a day in the year to break up the routine of life. A day when I can tell myself that I can eat absolutely anything I want in any quantity I desire.

But this year, as I turned 19 on my own at midnight, I decided to be different. The story of Stephen Sutton was in the back of my mind and I made a list of things I wanted to do before I turned 20 and was officially not a teenager anymore.

It made this birthday, more than any other, feel so special and I got into the habit of telling myself: "If this was your last day on earth would you feel like it was a good end? Would you leave with no regrets?" and words to this effect:

It was a little bit morbid at first, as though at any moment or any morning I could wake up and it might be my last. But it was the most motivating thing for me. 

I started doing little things: like making sure that I met up with friends at every opportunity, and started planning for bigger things: like my first 5k run. 

I began desiring for new experience and grabbing everything I had the opportunity to. A few weeks ago, I became the Recruitment and Outreach Officer for our university RAG society with exactly that same mentality. If I had the opportunity to run for something and make a difference, now was the time to do it. 

And low and behold, I was successful!

But what was most important for me was that I not only looked to the future, but remembered what I had already done. I didn't just want to have plans to do things and then when they were done, they were done. I wanted to have something to hold onto. I wanted to know what I'd already achieved and how I could build on them so that, even if I didn't achieve the things on my list that I'd planned, I still knew that I'd been somewhere. 

And for all of this there was no inspiration quite like that of Stephen Sutton's story and his optimism. When I read the update that his mum put on the page this morning, I cried. There was such a rich emotion attached to Stephen that was felt by everyone. I felt like mountains had been moved and everyone had this drive to support what Stephen did and what we were all doing by donating and raising awareness for the Teenage Cancer Trust. 

For me, knowing about Stephen gave me a kick, to do things that were new to me and things I'd always been meaning to do. To take more of those experiences and to love life even more! 

Do more, love more, be more!