We're on the flight back from Oklahoma now. What a week it's been! It surpassed my expectations in every way. I feel like a proud mama.
This trip just felt so right. It wasn't always easy; in fact, there were times when it was really freaking hard. I cried out of exhaustion, I cried out of frustration, but I also cried out of joy. That's what it is to be a trip leader. You just have so much invested in this project because you care so, so much. You believe in it and its power to change people more than you believe in just about anything else. And you think back to those magic moments on your first trip when your eyes were opened to the many, many human beings on this earth, their hopes and their needs, and how you actually have the power to do something meaningful for them. Those moments when you realize you're not just one in the crowd, but rather a very important link in the chain of humanity. You remember what those moments meant for you and who you've become, and you work your tail off to give that experience to someone else, to another very important link in the chain that's yearning to be strengthened. This week, I witnessed each of our 24 participants realize their connection in this huge chain. And really, there's no better feeling than that.
Each ASB has made me stand back and question my path. After this time, I am so, so glad that I've chosen this one. This is tiring and often thankless work, but there is nothing in this world that I care about more. Humanity is a tricky thing. We often clutter our view with violence, competition, materialism, and separateness. But we have an equal, if not greater potential for making peace, creating hope, and sharing love. This work reminds the world daily of its potential to be beautiful. There's nothing else that I want to commit myself to, because there's nothing else in this world that I believe in more. And really, that's what it's all about.
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