“Live your life.” -Zach Cobos, awesome fellow E Squadmate
I had so many big plans for this year.
A year off from the 40 hour workweek? You better believe I had a long list of free-time “to-do’s” that I planned on accomplishing this year.
I can’t tell you how many new musical artists I made sure to get on my iTunes before the trip with plans to learn and love all sorts of off-beat, funky music and incredible worship music.
As reading is one of my favorite ways to pass the time, I made sure my Kindle had a plethora of novels, informative books, and Christian literature options at my fingertips before I left America, and also had all sorts of deep blogging ideas for how to make my own contributions to the written world.
At one point I had over a thousand sermon podcasts lined up to enlighten me and enrich my spiritual walk, and a hard drive with over 150 movies to fill up other free time.
I anticipated filling many journals with deep thoughts that I would reflect on for years to come, taking thousands of epic, frame-worthy pictures every month, learning and remembering several key phrases in every language, learning to play an instrument, and maybe even discovering some art form I didn’t know I was good at.
I guess you could say that I have been a bit overly-ambitious in this way my entire life. In elementary school I had so much I wanted to do after school every day…read about whichever fictional hero I was currently pretending to be, practice my back handsprings, ride my bike, build a fort in the den, spy on the neighbors (a la Harriet the Spy), practice my softball pitching, etc…that I would often have to frantically write it all down at the end of the school day in order to be sure I didn’t forget any of it.
Well surround me with 35 people with common goals, interests, and passions, and suffice it to say that I discovered that relationship takes precedence over all that other “free time” stuff every time. I am known on E squad as the person that is always seeking a good conversation, a funny cultural experience, or a once-in-lifetime adventure. I simply can’t bear the thought of missing out on anything that would both deepen my relationships with my squad mates and present a unique life experience.
Hanging out with some squad mates at month 6 debrief.
I would rather lay in bed with one of my girls and giggle for hours than hide myself in my Kindle; I would rather comfort the person that is crying with homesickness than walk away to watch a movie; I would rather sit around a room with no electricity and make mindless conversation for hours than spend half my day online.
Lately I have been terrible about getting blogs written, which annoys me for my supporter's sake, but really and truly I have been too busy living my life. With less than two months until E squad is dispersed for good, I can’t bear the thought of missing out on any memory-making moment.
And truly, the reason I love a really touching song, exciting novel, or heart-warming movie is because they make me want to make the most out of my own life. When I wake up in the morning here in Nepal, I have a long line of new faces, flavors, sounds, smiles, experiences, and encounters just begging me to get out of bed.
God just made me this way…I want to live life to the fullest, love to the max, and spoil my senses with smells, flavors, and sites that are always changing and always challenging me to step out of my comfort zone a little bit.
~Pinterest~ Squadmate, Kathryn Chinn…same bungee I did!
Last week, I ventured through the alleyways of a Kathmandu neighborhood with a new friend, who invited Nicole and I to hang out on the roof of her apartment building with her 6 teenage sisters and cousins. They showed off their traditional, brightly colored and intricately sewn outfits for their Hindu festival, served us a platter of traditional Nepali food, and then washed my hair in a bucket and gave me a haircut with a pair of fabric scissors. On the way out, they took us to play on a 30 foot swing that local teenage boys like to test their daring on, and our new friends walked us home with exclamations of “I love you! Please come again!”
Over the weekend, I bungee jumped off one of the highest bungee platforms in the world, made friends with plenty of adventurers from all corners of the globe, and repelled down waterfalls over-looking the most breath-taking country I have ever seen.
Why waste time reading about someone else’s adventure when I am busy living my own? A cozy bed, cup of hot tea, and intriguing novel will all be waiting for me back home on a rainy afternoon. And admittedly, I do have a bit of a Pinterest obsession as of late, but at the moment the life in front of me is more exciting than any life I could “pin”.
~Pinterest~
So please forgive me if I have been a bit slack about blogging lately, but if anyone is feeling starved for stories…well, I’m all yours in two months. I promise to catch up on all sorts of writing soon after I get home.
Now, as a lot of us have taken to saying lately, stop reading this and go…
Live your LIFE!
