Courage, Courage, Courage

So life has settled down a tad, and I finally got my kitchen cleaned up from last weekends show. And since my way of decompressing is to clean, I channeled my inner 1950’s housewife and fall cleaned my bedroom, complete with washing the walls down, scrubbing the hardwood floor on my hands and knees, and getting rid of a bunch of stuff. Can one really have too many pairs of yoga pants?!? Obviously, the 30 plus tank tops were a bit much since I never wear them, however, the yoga pants must stay! I actually joined the gym this weekend (EEK! What was I thinking!?!), so I will be needing them…and that’s my story and I’m sticking to it! 
I know that the Courage card has already been released as one of the original five, however, the Flower Fairies want it to have its moment in the sun and be featured in the weekly blog! I see courage displayed by people everyday, and it always gives me pause, being able to be a witness in those moments. I was reminded this week about a trip I took to Lithuania in 1997 when I was 21. Back in the day (Oh my, am I getting old!) before the internet and cell phones, I saw an article in the local paper about volunteering internationally and thought it sounded really cool. When I received all the information through snail mail, I had the thought to check it out and make sure it was legit…which meant calling the Better Business Bureau, where there were no reports against them. So, I signed up and received word that I was going to Lithuania. Wait for it–I do not speak Lithuanian, nor did I know anything about their country or culture, and the limited information I received from the company said that I would be teaching English in a summer camp for kids. I booked my flights through sitting on hold over the home phone, complete with the long curly cord. I remember the excitement of traveling all by my lonesome, and getting to Germany. When it was time to fly to Lithuania, we were driven out to the small commuter plane, and I remember thinking, well this shall be interesting! My guardian angels were definitely watching over me! I made a friend on the plane that was also heading to the train station so we could take a taxi together, cause you know that feeling of safety in numbers! Then as I was standing in the train station not having a clue of what I was looking at, I was befriended by a group of students who helped me purchase my ticket and sat with me on the train. When we arrived in Kaunas, I was escorted to the bus station and my new friend took the bus with me so far, but instructed the bus driver of where I was going. When it came to my stop, the bus driver stopped the bus and helped me with my luggage. He introduced me to the remainder of the riders as an American, to which I was welcomed profusely, and he pointed me in the direction of the school where I was to be staying. I wandered down the street, pulling my suitcase, questioning what I got myself into. Here I was in a foreign country all by myself with no way of contacting home. And you know what? What I got myself into was one of the best experiences in my life. I learned so much about myself, my spirit, friendship, and being an American (the latter will be shared in a later blog). And as I was talking about my experience this week, it dawned on me, what I did took courage–it was ballsy, and I’m glad I did it. To be continued…