Riding in a Cambodian tuk tuk, weaving among motos, pedestrians, and bicycles toward a crowded local market, I ponder to myself, ‘when did this become normal?’
I am sitting alongside my squadmate Mikayla and our host’s daughter Darcy, whom I have been preparing breakfast and lunch with each day for the twenty-one World Racers staying here in Battambang, Cambodia this month.
As I glance down the pothole-ridden streets, bordered with trash and street signs in a language I do not understand, I hardly bat an eye.
Walking through the market, eels flop around in barrels as we venture through the meat stalls; I avert my eyes as not to see the slabs of meat hanging or the pig heads laid out upon the tables, glancing up only briefly to make sure I don’t trip over buckets of plucked chickens. As I try not to breathe too deeply, I wonder again, “when did this become normal?”
When did fruit stalls lined with fresh pineapple, dragonfruit, lycée, and other fruits that have no english translation become the new apples from the grocery store isle?
When did cold showers with no curtain and poor drainage become a luxury?
When did an inflated mattress become my ‘home’?
When did I stop flinching every time I hear a gecko croak from the wall nearby or when I see a cockroach scurry across the floor?
When did I become so methodical in sweeping the ants out of my things or in picking the lice out of my teammate’s hair? Or in swatting off flies every time I sit down?
When did it become normal to wear the same thing three days in a row? Or to do my laundry by hand on a roof? Or to forget to look in the mirror?
When did I stop being surprised to see cows meandering down the street? Or did the smells of burning trash and incense stop bothering me?
When did 75 degrees in November start to feel ‘cool’?
When did I start enjoying broccoli and cauliflower? Or start expecting rice to accompany every meal?
When did the temple down the road become ‘just another temple’ and not something to marvel at?
And, when did it become normal to share my intimate thoughts not the internet for everyone to read?
It is amazing how quickly we can adapt to change. How we can embrace uncertainty. But, also how easily we can lose sight of the wonder of it all.
It is in moments like these that I remember again to soak it all in. Because I won’t get these moments back.
I am reminded of a walk in Nepal where I told myself that I didn’t want to take the view of the Himalayas for granted. Yet, here I am, letting my eyes gloss over and missing out on the views I will never get back.
Let us not lose sight of the wonder of God’s creation and all the things that He has placed around us to enjoy—even when those things become ‘normal’ to us.
Let us continually look at the world around us with fresh eyes.
