That Emerson Guy Was A Keeper

Well, here we are. After 9+ months of planning, we'll be leaving in a few short days. I'm excited, nervous, scared, ready. It's difficult to go into such a trip with no expectations, but that's what I'm trying to do. I look forward to being fully present to my experiences and immersing myself in something I've never known.

Two of my friends are going to Calcutta, India for two and half months this summer. It's funny because the trip they are going on was what I wanted--and still want--to do. There's something about India that holds a deep place in my heart. I still hope to go on the same trip, the timing just wasn't right for me. Then Liberia became an option. I remember sitting in C-Street with Carmen talking about her experiences there and how she wanted to go back. I remember seeing a different side of her I'd never seen before. I remember this being the day it all "officially" began. And again, here we are.

Last night I had dinner with one of the girls going to Calcutta. She was talking about how she had been telling all of her friends from high school that she was about to leave for India for two and half months with nothing but a backpack and a purse. They all thought she had become a Seattle hippy and had completely lost her mind. Her response? "I just am so sick and tired of thinking about myself all the time. I've worked hard, and I'm ready to go there and work hard for other people who need it." This was another one of those moments where I saw a totally different side of someone, which was weird considering we've been roommates the last 6 months. There is so much more to a person than what is observable. Madison Bible, you never cease to amaze me.

Those words of hers have really stuck with me. It disgusts me how much we--yes, all of us--have more than we need, continue to buy more, and get caught up in the motions; we all take so much for granted. I look forward to living simply, and ACTUALLY doing it. We all have these hopes and aspirations to give back to others. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "What you do speaks so loudly I cannot hear what you say." We can talk and talk in circles about wanting to do this and wanting to do that. That's a good start, but it's the action that really leaves an impact.

So that is what the nine others and myself are doing. We are acting. See you all in Atlanta!