To Travel is to...

[copied this pic off of Kristin's computer..]

To travel is to go.
To travel with an open mind is to learn.
To travel with an open heart is to grow

So I know this quote isn't epic or anything, but I came up with the thought in Costa Rica last month. I had lots of time to ponder/refresh in my room each night. It was kinda nice not to have technology and just enjoy reading...writing...and dancing a lot like an idiot :)

But yeah, the quote: In CR I learned so very much.

Step #1 I went.

Step #2 I opened my mind. Sometimes it was difficult as we had lectures on history and learned horrors about our own country and exploitation of those in Central America, but I had to keep my mind open. I couldn't plug my ears, run, or hide in shame. I had to listen, swallow it, and remember it. Let it sting, you know..Let it break my heart and initiate some change.

Step #3. While in CR I was also introduced to some new views on faith, God, worshiping, and all that stuff. Again, sometimes we want to turn away from different views, but I was intrigued and this was the easiest step :) As i was engulfed in the idea of much of Latin American theology, I felt my heart changing, I felt that growth.

So I guess what I'm saying is this:: Travel! go! But don't just go...don't just take lots of pictures and write a few journals. Seek knowledge, learn from the culture, meet people, hear stories, let your heart burst and let it break, but most of all...let it grow.

Blog terminated, journey initiated.

So in an unfortunate turn of events [so I believed]..all of my blogs but one from 2010 were deleted!

Thank God, literally, for Kristin who found a computer nerd way to save them. It's taking me quite a while and my comments are gone forever, but eh, who cares...I'll be slowly but surely rebuilding the archive.

As i am doing so, I started from the beginning...wow. It's so interesting to see how I've changed and in some ways how I haven't. Both are intriguing. At some points I wanted to delete some of my old posts, but then I realized...they were a part of me. A part of my journey. A part of my "wandering." I shouldn't be ashamed of what I once thought or how i perceived life, I should rejoice that I am always growing, thinking, exploring and have so many layers to still dive into.

So even though some of the blogs I will re-post don't necessarly represent me now, they represent a piece of me that has evolved. A person is not just a current state--they are a piece of art. They are worn in with marks of pain and wrinkles of laughter. Their eyes have witness both wondrous joy and heart wrenching scenes. But all...all of these things make up a person, a soul, a life.

Not that my blog is my life by any means, but it is a small glimpse into viewpoints and inspiration.

goodnight world.