A Little Inspiration

This morning I awoke to an absolutely gorgeous email from my best friend Tommy who, as I've mentioned before, is in China for the year. His words were so inspiring on this cold winter morning, that I felt it would be selfish to keep them all to myself. I wanted to share his wisdom with you, so here is an excerpt from an email written by the most wonderful person I know.

“….I also had a morning with her where we hiked to the top of this small hill that faced a Tibetan holy mountain. At the top of the hill was a pagoda, tons of prayer flags, and an already burning offering of pine needles to the Buddha. At the top of this hill I couldn't help but feel the greatest power in the world. I never again will attempt to find god inside of a building. We split up at the top of this hill for alone time, when I came upon the burning offering to the Buddha. It was basically a sunken pit, maybe 30 by 20 feet, with a small section of smoking pine needles. The pit was surrounded by prayer flags and the rising sun hit them all so perfectly. I sat there adding needles and fueling the fire, vibing off the scene and pondering life. there are no words to describe the feeling I had. It was more potent than the most powerful drug, it was more strong than any human-elicited emotion. It was purely ecstasy. After a while, Kumiko came to tell me that I had been sitting there for a good half hour and we should keep on going. Between you and me, I couldn't leave this spot.

When my mom and I said goodbye at the airport in august, I felt this fantastic magnet drawing me back towards her as she walked away. Many times I would run back to her in tears crying “don't go mom!” traffic stopped in the middle of the road as I would hug her. I was out of control, possessed by the force of love. At this spot, the feeling was of the same. I would begin to walk away, look back, and feel the tears well up knowing that I would never return to such a beautiful place. Every step farther away would make me want to run back that much more. Even now, in my room, my heart pounds as I yearn to return. It was one of those moments that I will remember when I am old in my rocking chair and pondering what I did in life.

I was talking with kumiko about whether or not to fear old age, and we decided that if I can give my soul many of these kinds of experiences, I will be able to mentally return in old age and experience these fantastic feelings yet again. I pray that in India you too have moments like these, where you fall asleep years later wondering what one small section of the world is like and how you affected it.

I wish you the best of luck in India. I know you are still a month from leaving, but please, I want you to have an amazing time. I am so happy YOU are going, because YOU of all people will seize the moments there and make the world a better place. I want you to return home dreaming of your time there and dreaming for more of the same in the future. I pray that you too find travel in Asia to be a fantastic drug with no equivalent but more travel. I pray that one hour in an alleyway or a field in India effects you lightyears more than years of work in a classroom and a lifetime of writing.

You are the most deserving person for the experiences you will have. Do not waste a moment, because before you know it you will be back home wondering why you didn't walk up a hill to see what was there or why you didn't wake up early one day to see what life is like before the sunrise. Even more unfortunate, before you know it, you will be old and withered pondering whether or not you wasted a precious day on earth. I love that you have the fantastic sense of adventure and risk to embark on such a journey. I am so truly proud of you. I feel that returning home will be a little easier knowing we have an even deeper connection of getting lost in our own niches of the world. While many people stay within their comfort zone, you are with open arms ready to embark on an amazing adventure. I have just begun to realize that I want to go beyond living each day like it's my last: I want to live every day so I can die tomorrow with a smile on my face.

You will grow and mature so much over the next few months, and I look forward to seeing how such an already magical person will continue to flourish during her time on earth. Keep on growing and never forget who you are. every day we grow one day older, and ever day our time here grows shorter. please keep making the world a better place during your fantastic journey of life…..”