Right now I am sitting in the Minneapolis airport with a 6 hour layover until the connecting flight leaves for Washington DC. A fellow teammate and I are lying halfway on a sleeping pad next to the wall trying to maybe get a bit of sleep. It’s a little challenging to sleep with the hundreds of fluorescent lights still turned on, so bright that you can still see the light with your eyes closed. But, you know what I realized? This is going to be a VERY common situation throughout the next year. I learned some very important advice from a past World Racer: whatever you put into your trip is what you get out of it. So I take that and think; I could be miserable and complain about little things like the bright lights while trying to sleep, OR I do not complain and think about how lucky I am to be in this place…to be on my way to be able to love SO many people all around the world!! I like the second option A LOT more!!
I have been so incredibly spoiled with the love I have been given from the people in my life and from God, and it is now my turn to share it with others. Although it was very hard to say bye to the people I love the most today, I know this is what I am supposed to be doing. I can’t imagine being away from my family for 11 months but knowing how much I am supported back at home is going to help keep me going all along the way. Trusting and having faith in God is what is really going to help me during the tough times. Although it’s nice when things are comfortable and easy, but it is in the tough and difficult times that we grow the most.
So, as I turn over and try to get some sleep, instead of thinking about the bright and blinding lights, I will dream about all the amazing things that I will have the opportunity to encounter this year, everything that God is going to show me, all the beautiful people I will get to meet, and all the people back at home praying for me.
THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR HELPING ME GET TO WHERE I AM TODAY. I LOVE YOU ALL!
