Chop Wood, Carry Water

And so begins my journey! Although not quite like I expected it to start. Instead of being filled with joy and anticipation, I found myself crumpled up on my stairs, sobbing when it came time to leave. I’ve only left Evan once before (3 days for a work conference) and I’ve never been away from my sweet Lulu for more than overnight. The magnitude of the distance I was about to put between us left me feeling short of breath for the last, painful few days. Luckily, this adventure is allowing me a plethora of thinking time. Especially during this 15hr flight where I have a broken TV and light 🙂

I have continued to marvel at the significance of me leaving for Africa on International Day of the African Chikd. (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Day_of_the_African_Child?wasRedirected=true ) I wasn’t aware of this until Tuesday, but now I’m grasping on to it’s symbolism with a renewed spirit and energy. I’m leaving for Kenya on a day that calls for national attention to the education needs in Africa, and I’m hoping to lend a hand (although a very small one) to that exact dilemma.

During one of my flights today I read a book titled “The Last Lecture”, written by a dying man who wanted to leave one last impression with his young children. In his book, he explains that obstacles in life are truly a way to evaluate who really wants something. If this was easy, I wouldn’t want it so much. It felt so devastating to leave, because this really matters. At least to me.

I’ve also been thinking about the amazing contributions of the extremely generous people in my life that helped make this trip possible. By my calculations, around 100 people contributed to this experience. What a wonderful feeling that leaves me with.

Finally, on this lengthy day of travel I’ve been thinking about my lovely children, the very ones it felt impossible to leave. I’ve been considering how I hope they will one day take a leap, follow a dream, even if it’s really difficult. I would be horribly disappointed if they felt limited in the dreams they could pursue. I would want this for them. I hope when they get a bit older, they will feel the same way.

So with those thoughts, I feel a renewed sense of belief in what I’m doing. I am a few hours away from landing in Africa, and I feel very ready. I hope I’m bringing a bit of these two dreamers with me.