I have given a lot of thought to the subjects of my upcoming posts, and I want to tell you as much as possible about the trip I just took, but todays post is impromptu, and completely inspired by a quote my friend James just posted on Facebook.
"Life begins at the end of your comfort zone." Neale Donald Walsch
I didn't even have to think about this one, I instantly agreed, and now I am just sitting here reading it over and over, and smiling because it is so true. And James and his family would be the perfect people to live by this quote. At this very minute I am sitting on their couch, in charge of taking care of their house, their dog, rabbit, and six chickens, because two months ago, as a family (him, his wife and two kids), decided to pack up all the stuff they would need in to an unpredictably semi-functional VW Bus, on a 'I literally don't even know how long we will be gone' journey around the country.
I don't know about you, but that is definitely out of most people's comfort zone, and although I barely talk to them, except to ask questions about property lines, and how to get the rabbit to stop biting me, I know they are having the biggest and best adventure of their lives.
But enough about James, and his awesome 'go with the flow' family. I am so glad that he posted this quote because i completely agree that once I stepped out of my comfort zone I truly began to live.
People ask me all the time "What is Haiti like? Is it hard going down there?" And my answer is probably so disconcerting that I have a hard time convincing my own family that this is where I want to be! It is hot. It is always hot. I am almost always sweating. The mosquitos, at least during the summer months, are terrible! The first time I went, I got 16 mosquito bites on just my forearm! You have to be careful about getting Malaria, Typhoid, And now unfortunately to no fault of the Haitian people themselves, Cholera. You can't drink the water. You must be with a Haitian at all times. When you drive through the streets you can not avoid the piles of trash. When you step off the plane you may see palm trees swaying in the breeze, but you will smell pollution. The smell of burning trash will fill your nostrils, and when you leave and come back to the states, you will open your suitcase, and everything you packed will smell like burning trash, bug spray, sun tan lotion, and your own sweat.
I know this sounds terrible! I wouldn't want to go there either, but the problem is, I have already been there. And now when I step off the plane, and I breath deep the smells of burning trash, and other pollution, I smile, and breath a sigh of relief, because my heart is happy, and I am where I know I should be. I do not worry about Malaria, Typhoid, or Cholera. I know these things are all treatable, and I will be cautious, but I will not let it consume me with worry. Sweating, mosquito bites, general discomfort in having to wear clothes at all in that kind of weather- pa gen pwoblem (no problem). I don't drink the water, that's simple and easy to follow, and I know there will be drinkable water available to me when I get where I am going. As far as my safety is concerned, I trust that my Haitian friends, and God, will keep me safe. I have nothing to fear, and frankly the same rules apply in Ohio, if it is dark out, I am not going places on my own.
Nothing about what I have described is comforting. I have stories of devastation, and hunger, and abandonment. And yes all of those things are very sad to me. But I also see smiles, and laughter, and I hear the most beautiful music come from the mouths of children. And I know that my mere discomforts are not discomforting to them at all, but simply a way of life. And out of my comfort zone, I have never felt more at ease, and stress free.
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