From Polar Dips to Giants…
Ok, if money wasn’t the issue, time wasn’t a factor, and responsibility was only a word, what would you do? How would you live your life? Where would you go and what would be at the top of list for must-sees?
Not an easy question, is it? I mean, easy to think about for a split second, but really difficult to settle on a definite answer. There are so many places I want to see, but I don’t want to see them all alone, and places are just places without the people there to make them special. Scenery is just that until there is a memory attached to it and it comes alive in your mind’s eye. We are created for relationships and community, and we really do need each other.
I was lurking on one of my favorite news websites (ok, so sue me, I am a geek to like the news…) and I found the absolute craziest pictures of the strangest things. This past weekend, from Russia to Poland and everywhere in between, the Orthodox church celebrated this wild tradition: thousands of people took polar dips in rivers, lakes, and outdoor pools. They had swimming races and baptisms, and I saw pictures of people as old as 80 and as young as 3 (I don’t know about you, but I would seriously question the mental stability of a parent who would willingly do that with their kid), there were all kinds of people from all walks of life like presidents of countries and little old ladies, and they all looked freakin’ miserable and cold, with blue lips and tiny speedos, and they were all in the water! At first, I thought about how ridiculous their take on life was, and then, for a split second, I thought about what a great story it would make in my life if I ever had the chance to join them! Can you imagine? I have absolutely no idea what the point was, but it looked so crazy I wanted to give it a try. However, sitting here in my cozy little condo seems a little more appealing at 11pm than jumping on a plane and dropping into Moscow for a quick dip…
Then I saw another fascinating picture, and it was of Asia’s tallest known woman- and she was Chinese! She was hanging outside her house with a friend, and her friend looked like a dwarf! The girl is 2.34 Metres, and looks very sad…maybe she just wanted to look sad for the picture, but I wonder what life is like in her world? What is it like to be 7 and a half feet tall in a world where nearly everyone would be at least 2 feet shorter than you? Can you imagine how awkward it must have been for her as a teenager? No one wants to be a freak in high school, so what do you do if you are gargantuan? Looking at her, my heart broke as I thought about all the awkward moments she must have every day of her life. I wonder if she looks at the world and wishes she could fit in? I wonder if she has ever had people say cruel things or point and stare? The picture was of her sitting on a specially made chair outside her house, and she looked tired. I wish I could hang with her on her step and chat with her and find out about what she dreams of and would like to do…she looked like she could use a pick-me-upper. (Maybe the Orthodox swim team should stop in and take her out for an adventure).
Sometimes, when I travel, I am blown away with the fact that there is a world around me full of over six billion people who have lives that I will never know about, dreams that I can never find out about, and families that I will never get to meet. Sometimes, I think about how it would be really cool to do the whole ‘live for a few thousand years scenario’, like Methusaleh from the Bible, but then I guess I wouldn’t feel such an urgency like I do now to make choices that I can live with and that will affect the world for the better in the years ahead.
For me, in my world, today I sat in a hot tub rather than a freezing river, I watched a chick flick rather than sat with an Asian Giant, and once again, Monday is looming over me and I think about what needs to get done. But, this Monday, I am going to be thankful that I have another Monday to live out everything that is in my heart to do. This Monday, once again, there is always another chance to meet someone new, touch someone’s life, and give it all I’ve got.
Maybe next Monday I will try to grab a drink with my almost friend in China….who knows what can happen in a week? Thankfully, the Russians will be over their polar dip faze by then and I won’t have to decide between seeing them or her…
And by the way, I would love to hear your answer to the question…what would you do if you could anything…?
January 27th, 2008 at 1:21 am
I think I would do exactly what I’m doing now… but maybe with more chocolate.