Ready to go...

I was asked this morning how I am doing. I was speaking to a beloved mentor, and as I was speaking with him on the phone, I was standing in the Eugene airport, waiting to go through security and ascend the escalator to my first flight of five to ultimately arrive in Kigali, Rwanda. “I’m good. I’m very excited, but very tired from the past few days. Its been a sweet time of seeing friends and family, but busy. But I’m not scared, nervous, worried, stressed or anything else. I’m at peace, settled and good,” came my reply. He congratulated me and we spoke a little more about the process its taken me to get here, as well as a few other things. And as I am on this flight, 6400 en route to San Francisco, I am still at that place. I have no doubt that this is exactly where I am supposed to be in this moment in time, on this day of August 25th, 2009. 

When I was younger I planned to graduate from high school, go to college, graduate from that, and then work while accumulating a lot of ‘fun’ things. I’ve always been an adventurer. Always loved climbing trees, tearing up new pow on the mountain, spending countless hours exploring the many trails and paths around my grandparents’ home, riding horses I shouldn’t have, hunting deer and elk in Eastern Oregon, fishing in whatever water I could find, hiking all over, and doing any and everything else that seemed interesting, precarious, or maybe even dangerous. So in my teen years a college degree was a way not only to provide for myself but also to support this habit of adrenaline rush hunting. (Not to mention, the degree I got allowed me to experience the rush at work when traumatic injuries presented themselves). I still love to do all those things very much, but now, it seems as the the bar has been raised. Much like a young child first learns how to roll from front to back, then to raise up off of the ground, and then to crawl. Standing up with the aid of a chair, stool or trusted hand is learned next, after which comes the wobbly walk, then with more confidence, and finally the ability to run, skip, jump and maintain their balance despite what may come. Just as each preceding phase is a ‘step’ towards balance and greater ability, so it has been with my adventurous heart. I’m not saying I have it all together. Oh no. (If any of my close friends or immediate family reads this they’ll know how funny that would be to say!) But I am saying that the preparation has been occurring my whole life. Its as if this was just the next step, full of unknowns, interesting experiences and challenges. And also, full of that good ol’ adrenaline rush hunting. So I’m good. Ready to go, ready to arrive. (Don’t get me wrong, though. This is anything but the beginning, I’m pretty sure...)