Katie mentioned on her blog the other day (or perhaps it was Jessica?) that when she was at the Cape of Good Hope she realized there was nothing between her and Antarctica. That came back to me this weekend while Mason and I were out hiking.
I grew up my entire life in the same house. I never vacationed outside of Utah and Idaho as a kid other than two bus trips for high school to California and Oregon. I don’t think I ever really cared. Then I served a mission to Costa Rica and the world opened up to me. I think the moment that changed me forever happened while I was serving in Nicoya, Guanacaste. I was speaking with a couple of guys and it was clear they were treating me exactly as they would another Costa Rican. They weren’t speaking slowly or avoiding slang. I soon found that one of them didn’t realize I wasn’t Costa Rican. To be treated as an equal, as part of a group totally different from my own, completely changed me. I had a desire to see the world and have people around the world affect my life.
When I read Katie’s blog I realized that she had now staked down her canvas for us to paint on. There are lots of places to see and lots of things to do, but she has her canvas.
In the South, she staked it down at the Cape of Good Hope.
In the North, she staked it down watching the Northern Lights with me, north of the Arctic Circle in Lapland, Sweden.
In the West, she staked it down celebrating our tenth anniversary hiking in Kauai (at least I think this is a great West).
In the East, she staked it down when we brought home our sweet Lula from Vietnam.
How cool to have a canvas! I can’t wait to get to the Cape of Good Hope so I can stake mine down as well. And I look forward to painting by numbers all across this beautiful canvas. The world seems so small until you try to see it all.
6 comments:
Thank you John for the thought that this life is a canvas and that I get to paint on it with you. Happy to be on these adventures together, I feel blessed to be by your side whether in the North, South, East or West. It will be interesting to be by your side in the Southwest, we'll have to see how that part of our life's adventure unfolds!
What we would be missing if you didn't blog! what a great observation - I feel I understand you a little better, too. Thanks John.
Pura Vida mae! I can't believe you guys are in South Africa. That must be so amazing. Good luck to you guys!
Pura Vida mae! I can't believe you guys are in South Africa. That must be so amazing. Good luck to you guys!
Pura Vida mae! I can't believe you guys are in South Africa. That must be so amazing. Good luck to you guys!
If I can convince Ty to make a trip with me to visit you guys, we need to take a weekend trip to Uganda and do some white water rafting on the White Nile. It is one of the most amazing things I have ever experienced.
You guys are my heros! I really look up to you both, and appreciate your influence in my life.
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