It’s been quite a while since you’ve heard from me, and for that I sincerely apologize. It’s simply been extremely difficult to choose something to write about. Not because it’s been boring or because I’ve told every story and shared every lesson I’ve learned. No, it’s rather because I’ve been too tired and overwhelmed to write anything. This is a story about why I’m not so overwhelmed today…
I’m in Uganda…my last country of the Race. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? With the race coming to a close, many questions arise:
-What do I do next?
-Do I get a job right away?
-How am I going to answer people’s questions and sum up this year of my life?
-What is going to be easy in adjusting to US culture? What is going to be hard?
-Where am I supposed to live (in the long run)?
-What parts of the Race do I integrate into my “new/old normal” life?
-What parts of the Race can I not expect to be carried over?
-Where will my “new normal” life even be?
-Do I want to live in the US full time or not?
-What of these questions do I even need to know the answers to right now?
These are just a few of the questions that are running through my mind on a regular basis.
But today…today was different. I didn’t ask myself (or the Lord) about my future, or what I need to know. Instead, I went to coffee with two of our new friends here in Rukungiri, Uganda. I spent time watching some other new friends play pool while I chatted with others about their lives/visions/expectations/hobbies/etc. I spent over an hour taking notes on the local language’s translation of the “key words” I will need to know to learn how to pick up as much as possible from the conversations going on around me. Then I walked back through town headed home, greeting people as I walked by, introducing myself to the people who tried to start conversations as I walked. Once I returned to the house, I called one of my friends and talked to her about my experience here so far and listened to her as she caught me up on her life as well. In other words, today I simply lived. And it was the BEST day I’ve had in quite some time.
Life is always full of unknowns. Even the things we “know” are subject to change at the drop of a hat. So instead of worrying and allowing yourself to be overwhelmed by it all, just live today. It won’t always be the “best day ever”, but at least it won’t be made worse with the worries about tomorrow.
