 Dan, Danica, & Joshua in line at Zam Zam As far as food goes, India was a difficult place for my husband and myself to travel. I have a very low tolerance level for hot spices and my husband doesn’t know what to do without meat (especially beef) at every meal. We went there in May 2010 for the wedding of two close friends. Parvathy’s family was incredibly generous and they cooked for us every day. They tried very hard to make the food less spicy so that we Americans could tolerate it, but I still couldn’t handle most of the food. I was living off of mostly chapati, dosai, and naan (all types of bread). And it was all vegetarian, so my hubby was going crazy for meat.
At the end of the week of wedding festivities, our group of about 25 American guests was on a bus headed back to her parent’s house after a final celebration on her grandmother’s spice plantation. We passed a billboard for KFC and several of us were positively drooling over the thought of food that wasn’t Indian. Click to read the rest over at Kind Over Matter. If you want to explore your dreams and find more joy, please check out my Work page for more info on how we could work together. Or go here to set up a free Fairy Godmother Session to dig into your dreams and see what magic we can find.
 Raven, Lea, Rebecca on a temple tour. Asim & Nasser, knights in hotel uniforms. Picture It: Luxor, Egypt. July 2007. Lea and I are relaxing in our hotel room, after a long day of temple tours. We’re discussing our newly discovered favorite female pharaoh, Hatshepsut, and our own brilliance about opting for the Air Conditioning upgrade. (Sidenote: this really has no bearing on the rest of the story, but here’s a Pro Travel Tip for you. When traveling in Egypt and India, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS go for the A/C upgrade. Even if you have to eat less or buy fewer scarves, it’s worth the extra $5. You will thank me later.) Knock Knock. We aren’t expecting anyone, so we are surprised, but I get up and answer the door. No one is there, which is confusing, but I shrug it off and go back to reclining on my bed. Click to read the rest at Kind Over Matter. If you want to explore your dreams and find more joy, please check out my Work page for more info on how we could work together. Or go here to set up a free Fairy Godmother Session to dig into your dreams and see what magic we can find.
 Jimmy Buffett quote sign from spunkyfluff on etsy Lost in Translation I lived in Zambia for 3 years as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Living in a remote village where few people speak English requires you to learn the local language, but also gives ample opportunity for you to make a complete fool of yourself when you get it wrong.... Click to read the rest at Kind Over Matter. If you want to explore your dreams and find more joy, please check out my Work page for more info on how we could work together. Or go here to set up a free Fairy Godmother Session to dig into your dreams and see what magic we can find.
 Photo used under Creative Commons from slapjack Last night I had the pleasure of being interviewed by my good friend Susan, of Turning Point Personal Coaching Solutions about the benefits of playing more for adults. You can also sign up for my free ecourse, where I'll guide you through 14 days of playtime activities to delight and inspire you. If you are ready to expand your sense of joy and play, please check out my Work page for more info on how we could work together. Or go here to set up a free Fairy Godmother Session to dig into your dreams and see what magic we can find.
Today makes 8 years since I moved into my village in Zambia, where I spent 3 years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Community Health Program. It was Easter morning, so it was quiet there while everyone else was at church. I was fresh out of my three-months of training and ready to start the new life I'd signed up for. I was terrified to be there all alone, thousands of miles from home, to figure out the language and culture and start working at a job I wasn't sure I was ready for. I was excited to try it out anyway and to make new friends. Two years later, I signed on for an extra year, so I obviously fell in love with my job and with Zambia. Clearly, that experience is one of the key events of my life and the impact on my growth and development is beyond words. Today I am full of memories and gratitude for the friends I made and the gifts I gained. I am especially grateful to the children who lived near me- they were extremely patient teachers of language and culture. Even though I was a fully capable, able-bodied adult, I never would have survived village life without the help of children under the age of 12.
 Forster, Me, Mwelwa, Chabby, Ellen, Eliza- My best friends and greatest teachers. Here are just 10 of the lessons I learned there:
1. A storytelling circle is a priceless gift. Gather ‘round the fire with your friends and share your stories. Even if you’ve told them 100 times, it’s still so much better than the reruns you could watch instead. Some of my best memories from the village are of those story times, even when I couldn't understand them, because the feeling in the circle was of love and community.
2. We are each individuals and deserve attention. In Zambia, when you walk into a meeting, you go around and shake hands with each person and go through a greeting sequence with them, asking how they are and how their family is. You don’t just wave hello at the whole bunch- that will be offensive and get you nowhere. Back in American settings, I've found that instead of just plowing into asking someone something- like at the grocery store- if I first ask them how they are and really listen, it changes the experience. It's more personal and connected and feels so much better.
3. A smile can still light up a room, even when you don’t speak the same language. And a tremendous amount of your message can be conveyed with facial expressions.
 1. art time in the village! 2. Me, Patrick, Chief Chimesi's son & wife, Chief Chimesi, Parvathy (my best friend & fellow Peace Corps Volunteer) 4. Share whatever you have. I can't count the number of times I'd see two kids sharing one pair of shoes- each wearing one shoe. There is no greater example of sharing than that. And my neighbors always offered to share their food with me, no matter how little of it they had. No matter how little I think I have, I ALWAYS have enough to share with someone else.
5. Make an honest effort. In my meetings, my caveman Bemba normally got my message across (Boil water. Wash Hands. No diarrhea.) and there was always a translator to assist me when it wouldn't. But, the fact that I showed that I was trying to learn the language and making a genuine effort was always well appreciated by my audience. I always got shocked comments from people who were so moved that I'd tried, even though I murdered their language. It's always worth it to try to use your skills, even when you're not yet an expert.
6. Imagination opens the whole world up for your exploration. Zambian kids create the coolest toys. They make their own soccer balls out of plastic grocery bags and string, make real moving toy cars out of juice boxes and flip flops, and use charcoal for chalk. I was constantly in awe of their ability to create something out of nothing.
 Mansa Market 7. One woman's trash is another's treasure. I know this is a clichéd statement, but I saw it for truth in the village. I learned to look at my trash and at recycling in a whole new light. I didn't throw away plastic bottles- I saved them to reuse or to share with my neighbors. I even sent my charcoal brazier home with the kids every day after I finished cooking; because they used them to keep warm while they slept (I had enough blankets and preferred them). The ashes then came back to me and went into my pit latrine to reduce odors. Nothing wasted.
8. There is always room for joy. Laugh, sing, dance. My friends and neighbors in Zambia were not always well fed. There were periods when the harvest was poor and they were starving or sick. However, they were always laughing and singing and dancing. If they can choose joy when they're dealing with so much, how can I not choose it just because I'm having some minor trial? Also, any empty container or flat surface can be a drum. There is never a good excuse not to dance.
9. You can find love in the most unexpected of places. I met my husband in the market, in front of the used tires and miscellaneous metals. It was over a year later that we started dating, but the market will always be special for us, since that's where we first met.
 Me & Joshua- 2007, Zambezi 10. NOTHING tastes as good as fresh, warm peanut butter pounded with your own two hands. Thank you, Zambia! You are always my second home and I'm so grateful for the multitude of blessings you gave me. Thank you to all the beautiful people who are now part of my life and my heart because of that adventure! If you need support in seeking out your dreams, please check out my Work page for more info on how we could work together. Or got here for info about a free Fairy Godmother Session to dig into your dreams and see what magics we can find.
 1. One of my favorite photos of my parents. 2. My dad decided Mrs. Claus was more interesting than Mr., so he tried on the costume. Many hours of laughter have since ensued. Yesterday was one of the best days I've had in a long time. I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe and my throat is sore today from it.
It's also the day I found out my little sister has endometrial cancer.
I know it sounds like those two statements can't possibly both be true, but they are. Her cancer is in the earliest, least aggressive stage and her doctor was very positive about the hormone treatments working for her.
This is not my family's first round with cancer. Thirteen years ago, my dad was diagnosed with stage four terminal sebaceous cell carcinoma. Today, he's as healthy and happy as ever. Chemo took a lot out of him, but he never lost his sense of humor or his positive attitude. (This is a man who wore his Cat in the Hat hat for his Sam's Club photo ID so that the door greeters and cashiers would smile when he came in.) He baked cakes for his chemo nurses and took them gifts every week. He's a farmer, but he retired after his diagnosis because he didn't have the energy for the labor intensive farm work. He took up sewing with his new-found free time and started making pillows for the chemo center to give the patients during their treatments. He made floor pillows for everyone he knew (I still have 3 of them). He and my mom made a book of the inspirational statements they found, including what Cancer CANNOT Do. They still give them to anyone they know who is affected by cancer. It took a toll on all of us, but the positivity and humor that we found certainly had a profound impact on his healing and helped us all cope with such a difficult situation.
My whole family is full of smartasses and we make wise crack comments all the time when we're together. Yesterday was no different. And my sister was leading the charge. Her doctor had a bit of trouble finding her cervix during the exam. Her response was "Oh, has it gone on a walkabout again? Well, keep looking, I'm not going anywhere." Her doctor cracked up and the room was full of smiles instead of sadness.
My sister's current treatment plan is hormone therapy and doesn't include radiation or chemo or surgery, so hopefully she won't have to deal with the worst of the side effects of cancer. Her outlook is sunny and she is full of the best medicines- love, laughter, and support. The forecast is brilliant and today truly is a Good Friday!
If you need a little medicine, here's a video that's sure to activate your laugh muscles:
If you need support in seeing the medicines in your life or in seizing the fun, please check out my Work page for more info on how we could work together. Or go here for info about a free Fairy Godmother Session to dig into your dreams and see what magics we can find.
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