My friend Stacia is collecting funds to take all of the schoolchildren in Kewsua on a field trip to the Chiang Mai zoo before she heads back to Seattle. If you're interested in helping, visit paypal.com and send money to: stacia@allgodsbeautifulchildren.org
Thanks!!
Friday, July 18, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
The best is yet to be...
So I've kinda fallen down on this blog thing, but as promised (threatened?), I'm still going to be posting here occasionally.
Yesterday marked a month since my return to Seattle. It's good to be home. And it's been interesting to think about what "home" means... I'm definitely a believer in the old adage that it is, in fact, where your heart is. I have no "home" to speak of here as far as a house (or even a room!) with four walls, no bed to really call my own, and yet (to draw on another cliche) there are oh so many places that I'm welcome to hang my hat. I have so enjoyed catching up with friends and family and realizing that when it comes to those people you are truly connected to, those long months away really don't change a thing. Thanks to all of you who have so generously offered me a place to touch down, and know that even if I haven't taken you up on it yet, I almost certainly will soon. :)
I still haven't made any firm decisions about "what's next" beyond beginning to plan for a return trip to Thailand next February (though this will be a much more abbreviated journey!). I'm enjoying the opportunity to relax, and enjoy what is turning out to be an exceptionally beautiful Seattle summer. As I've said to several people in the last few days, I've been a lot of places, but Seattle on a sunny day is really, really hard to beat.
As to the title of my post... I just finished reading a great little book by Adena Halpern entitled The Ten Best Days of My Life. It's kind of a cheesy little book, and would definitely be filed under "chick lit", but it brings up some great questions, and has sparked some good discussions about what you might consider to be the best days of your life. The basic premise of the story is that a young woman dies, arrives in "7th Heaven" (where the cutest boy ever lives next store, she's reunited with her beloved grandparents, and has a dream home with a walk-in closet filled with all the latest fashions), and is assigned the task of writing an essay about her 10 best days on earth. The essay is sort of an entrance exam for heaven, if you will. As I said, the book is a bit cheesy, but the exercise is a good one, I think. The reflection over our lives and the things that stand out as the "best" say a lot about us, I think. I'm not ready to write mine down yet, and I struggle with coming up with specific days, because so much of the "best" of my life is captured in a series of moments or by a time in my life that was incredible. And I think it all serves as a reminder too that we never know how much time we have left, so let's get cracking on making some more "best days"... I'm hoping at least 5 of my best days on earth are still ahead of me. :)
Speaking of best days, I have to say that this summer is already ranking up there as one of the best ones of my life. It feels a little like those summers back in high school when I didn't have a job yet and my biggest worries were maintaining a tan and making sure I got to spend as much time as possible with all my friends. Oh, wait, did I say it's a little like that, hmmmm... more like it's *exactly* like that.
Yesterday marked a month since my return to Seattle. It's good to be home. And it's been interesting to think about what "home" means... I'm definitely a believer in the old adage that it is, in fact, where your heart is. I have no "home" to speak of here as far as a house (or even a room!) with four walls, no bed to really call my own, and yet (to draw on another cliche) there are oh so many places that I'm welcome to hang my hat. I have so enjoyed catching up with friends and family and realizing that when it comes to those people you are truly connected to, those long months away really don't change a thing. Thanks to all of you who have so generously offered me a place to touch down, and know that even if I haven't taken you up on it yet, I almost certainly will soon. :)
I still haven't made any firm decisions about "what's next" beyond beginning to plan for a return trip to Thailand next February (though this will be a much more abbreviated journey!). I'm enjoying the opportunity to relax, and enjoy what is turning out to be an exceptionally beautiful Seattle summer. As I've said to several people in the last few days, I've been a lot of places, but Seattle on a sunny day is really, really hard to beat.
As to the title of my post... I just finished reading a great little book by Adena Halpern entitled The Ten Best Days of My Life. It's kind of a cheesy little book, and would definitely be filed under "chick lit", but it brings up some great questions, and has sparked some good discussions about what you might consider to be the best days of your life. The basic premise of the story is that a young woman dies, arrives in "7th Heaven" (where the cutest boy ever lives next store, she's reunited with her beloved grandparents, and has a dream home with a walk-in closet filled with all the latest fashions), and is assigned the task of writing an essay about her 10 best days on earth. The essay is sort of an entrance exam for heaven, if you will. As I said, the book is a bit cheesy, but the exercise is a good one, I think. The reflection over our lives and the things that stand out as the "best" say a lot about us, I think. I'm not ready to write mine down yet, and I struggle with coming up with specific days, because so much of the "best" of my life is captured in a series of moments or by a time in my life that was incredible. And I think it all serves as a reminder too that we never know how much time we have left, so let's get cracking on making some more "best days"... I'm hoping at least 5 of my best days on earth are still ahead of me. :)
Speaking of best days, I have to say that this summer is already ranking up there as one of the best ones of my life. It feels a little like those summers back in high school when I didn't have a job yet and my biggest worries were maintaining a tan and making sure I got to spend as much time as possible with all my friends. Oh, wait, did I say it's a little like that, hmmmm... more like it's *exactly* like that.
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