So, with my free time I've been doing a fair amount of reading and reflecting. Yesterday as I sat in my room, looking at my walls with the Bolivian/Puerto Rican Flags, hand-crafted hammocks, posters of the Cordillera Real, Bolivian wall hangings, etc., it made me extremely happy. I've been to so many places, and more importantly, I have come to know so many people. I may not see them again, but they have changed me immensely. I got reminiscent thinking about all of the stories that I've heard, and all the experiences I've had. Hiking in the Sajama desert; sitting at the peak of a 20,000 foot mountain with 3 of my closest friends; taking 6 modes of transportation to get to a tiny airport in Peru; hiking Patagonia; walking the streets of poverty in El Alto with a saddened and heavy heart; biking the island of Puerto Rico; coaching basketball in Spain; visiting Dave in the dreary land of Lithuania; listening to the church members of El Alto tell their story over a dinner they most likely couldn't afford; teaching the most beautiful and tender hearted students in La Paz; trying not to become depressed in El Alto on the nights where the world seemed so lost to me; recovering from an illness that had me crippled physically and emotionally; laughing with friends and family and students; crying with the brokenhearted as I felt helpless; getting extremely lost on the Uma Pulka trail for a day and a half; and the list goes on.
Gratitude is all I have in my heart for having all of these experiences. Gratitude mostly for life. And now I have to try so hard to not become complacent in this home land, the United States. It's so difficult because this place is so comfortable. But now I'm making new stories, and new friends in the Denver area. I have to strive to learn more of the language I call Mexican. I have to strive to understand their culture. I have to approach it all with the heart that God has called us to approach people with, namely love. It seems almost impossible at times.
Quinoa and I have made up.I feel like my life is getting less interesting sometimes, but I am probably wrong. On any given day, I end up operating 5 different types of machinery with effeciency (trucks, bobcats, work 4 wheelers, trenchers, cars), I end up talking mostly in Spanish, and I hear more stories of hardship from foreign citizens who can't get anything to go right in their life. Then I go hiking in the mountains with a husky, climbing the boulders in Boulder, shooting arrows at Brent in the forests of Frisco because he wanted the adrenalin rush, flying back home and spending vacation with my gentle hearted mom, and family, etc.
I realize my life becomes more fulfilled every day I live with God's purpose, and every day I get closer to his Kingdom. I can not wait most days. And luckily it is probably approaching must faster than I can imagine, for life is short and we are but a passing wind as Solomon so simply puts it in Ecclesiastes.
For those of you who still read my blog, remember the stories that we've been given. Tell them, share them, and above all remember them.
