Four Months Out

I am so excited to take this trip with our family!  I find it is consuming more and more of my thoughts as it is getting closer.  Of course for me, much of the joy of travel is the planning and anticipation!  Today I find myself thinking about why this is so important to me to share with our kids.  I have been blessed to travel to many places and I think of travel as my soul food.  I am looking forward to my kids getting to know the broader humanity of our world.  I often hear that folks are nervous for us about taking this trip, especially with kids.  But here are my memories that represent my dreams for the experiences my kids will get.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

I long wondered growing up what that meant.  Travel has illuminated it for me wonderfully.  I want my kids to see that in Brazil bronze skin will be celebrated as beautiful and in Asia they may wear gloves and sun hats as they celebrate pale skin as beautiful.  At home we strive for lean body styles and in Africa they can see women who wrap their hips with fabric to make them appear heavier.  Our kids are beautiful and I want them to see that beauty is relative and they should celebrate what makes them unique.

Practice Random Acts of Kindness

We have the bumper stickers.  But I remember being in college in Kenya and asking a passerby to point me to the Post Office.  He didn’t point.  He walked with me 15 minutes out of his way to guide me.  Or in Thailand on our last trip in 2001 when we bought two chairs and the postal worker was so excited to make us custom boxes so we could mail them home.  While we waited we were brought some fresh mango and chili pepper to enjoy.  We have experienced so much patience and kindness as we have navigated new places from the folks who call it home.

Dance like there’s nobody watching

I wish this happened more at home.  I want my kids to see dance as a basic source of joy.  I feel like in the US our culture discourages folks from doing things unless they are exceptional at it. I cherish the memory of watching an auto repair worker in Tanzania dancing alongside the car he was working on.  He didn’t have any music playing – other than that in his head.  There is so much dancing in other places – I hope they get inspired to find their rhythm.

Noone has ever become poor by giving

I remember being on a narrow gauge train in rural Bulgaria with my parents when they visited my in the Peace Corps.  At the time Bulgaria had hyper inflation and wages could be measured by how many loaves of bread one could buy.  An older woman came and gave my parents each an apple as a gesture to welcome foreign friends to her homeland.  I look forward to my children experiencing the richness of giving, and I expect that they will be the recipients of exceptional hospitality.  I can certainly say that I continue to feel awkward when folks are inspired that I served in the Peace Corps. It is awkward because my heart knows that the experience and the people of Bulgaria gave me far more than I gave them from my two years of service.

Home is where the heart is

I have traveled and felt supreme joy while doing it.  I have often pictured myself living overseas.  But the reality is I love home.  I love my country, my family, friends and neighbors.  I love it when our kids walk in the footsteps of our favorite childhood memories.  I hope that the opportunity to see the world gives them an appreciation for all that lies beyond and all that lies within too.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥