I'm in the Dubai airport now--almost home!! I'm reflecting back on the past 5.5 weeks and the travels through Sri Lanka, India, Bhutan, and Nepal. I'm trying to determine what it is exactly that I want to take away from this trip.
The biggest truth I've come to understand through this experience is that we always have a choice. I've seen some of the poorest people living in worse physical and economical circumstances than I could have imagined--and yet, they choose to smile and laugh. Some of them have taken to begging or are reliant on the charity of others to get by, but none of them have surrendered to their tough conditions. They choose to be survivors, not victims. They accept their hardships and continue on. The love, light, and joy I have seen in these people's faces never ceased to humble and amaze me.
It's scary to think of going back to my life in California and picking up just where I left off. I don't want to lose the value of this experience. I am continually reminded of the story of the birds that go to a "flying training" (if you know this story, forgive me for butchering it). At the training, they all sore through the air for their first time and are thrilled with the experience. Then, when the training ends, they walk home.
I don't want to "walk home" after this. I want to find a way to help those people that refuse to surrender. I want to make a difference. And, at a bare minimum, I want to make sure I never forget that I always have a choice in my actions and attitude... why not choose to be happy.
No comments:
Post a Comment