Everything Will be Okay AND An Ability to Remember

Seriously, everything will be alright -

The Cats needed to lose a bad game, right? They just had to get it out of their system, so when the tournament(s) come(s) around, they'll be ready for anything. In the words of a friend (about a rival team), I'm with my Cats in rainy, rain, rain or shine.

An Ability to Remember -

what it was like when I first got here. I think I've been keeping myself way too involved with what could be at this point that I'm completely forgetting about where I am and what's inevitable. Am I speaking of fate? No, you'll never hear me speak of fate. What's inevitable here is because of a decision I had made in January of 2009 when I began filling out the form to apply to be a volunteer with U.S. Peace Corps. I didn't know where I was going to end up, or for that matter, what I was going to be doing while I was there (wherever there happened to be). I worry too much about when that guppy project is going to start or when my community will give me a figure that I can work with, so I can begin writing a grant proposal for that garden that I (and others) want to build and grow. I've been too willing to let a certain aspect of my American personality get a hold of me, specically impatience. I (and many Americans) often tend to believe that if it isn't being tended to, then it's not being considered at all; it's been forgotten and will never be revisited. But, today, my health center told me that they have the money, and they will be able to buy the water jars (for the guppy project) next month. There is also going to be a meeting next meeting with the commune chief who has apparently already been spoken to about finding out how much the community is willing to donate. Next month, I will have a number, and I can begin. In the world I come from, we are very concerned with dates and deadlines, but the pace of this society moves much slower (not better or worse), and I've begun to learn what it is to just sit and enjoy what I have around me rather than sit and contemplate and worry. I recently took a survey of the average day for people in my community. There's about 6 hours worth of "hammock time." Is sitting in a hammock, reading a book integrating?! Absolutely, I say! (Contemplating, I will persist to do, by the way, but maybe not about so many things) I think I've unknowingly had the right idea for a long time, but I hadn't really figured it out until recently. I've said many times before that success is a series of trial and error, and I've been doing that seeking a balance between what works in my community and what works for me. It's all about balance. Life is about finding balance in work, community, social life, personal life, family life, education. It's almost like a constantly moving puzzle. You have to weight what you have on one side of the scale and balance it out with what makes you happy. Is a little unbalance hurtful? Nah. In fact, it just pushes you towards one end or another. You're on a balance beam, and it's constantly wobbling. What's the fun in standing still on an unmoving beam? It's not about the outcome and the destination but about the journey that takes you there.

Hope all is well.

Talk to you soon,
Garrett