Birthdays on the race are a special event. They are not even close to what a “normal” birthday looks like in the states-not as extravagant, family filled, Facebook checking kind of day, but they are even more special. It is special because my world race family pools their resources together to make a day special. My world race family blessed me with Oreos (a hot commodity to find), a glass bottle coke, a chocolate muffin (chocolate is also hard to find), and sweet birthday blessings. It is amazing how priorities change when you begin living with less. Things like giving yourself a birthday present means you take your things over to the other (aka nicer) house to take a hot shower instead of buying yourself a fancy dinner or a new outfit.
It is not only on birthdays that we bless each other, but just in every day living. One day this week I was up at four in the morning puking my guts into a toilet that we flush by pouring a bucket of water into the bowl. A squadmate of mine sat there with me just to be a presence. Multiple other squadmates stuck their heads out of their doors just to check on me. One squadmate even left the house to walk 5 minutes to the other house and used that bathroom. We bless each other by allowing someone to go before us in the line for food (even knowing that there might not be all the food left by the time it comes to the last person). Sometimes blessing someone means writing a note and leaving it on a squadmates bed just to encourage them.
Blessing others does not have to involve money and presents. It can be an encouraging word, an act or service, someone who listens, or an unexpected hug. We talk about preferring others with our words and our actions. This week has been a double portion of blessing from my team and from my squad. Shout out to all of them for blessing me not only on my birthday or when I am sick, but just every day that we spend together.
