A Little Bit Longer
August 19th, 2010I love home. The flat land of northern Minnesota, right on the edge of Red River Valley. There is something about the hot humid summers and the bitter cold, snowy winters. It makes a man a man. It makes you appreciate life. It makes you appreciate the Blessing of family and friends.
My life, my personality, has been forged there. The story of my life is woven in the land where I worked the land, herded cows, watched my mother and grandparents buried, held my godsons as they were baptized, where I scraped my knees.
But my life has also been forged in my travels. In my youth, I checked out every book in the community library about other countries. My folks had a bit of a traveling bug - my Dad spending time in the army during the Korean War and my mother being happy to tell us stories about her trip to Canada so long ago.
I’ve been lucky enough to travel too. I can tell you the first time I rode an escalator. The first time that I’ve seen the ocean. The first time I left Minnesota or North Dakota. Seeing the world is still a bit surreal. My passport has the stamp of over a dozen countries, and sometimes I have to pinch myself when I realize that I’m living on the far side of the world.
Part of living overseas is the benefit of seeing and experiencing different things and different people. Say what you will about Australia, but it is in many ways, not at all like home. The animals, the landscape, the cities and towns are very different then those that I grew up with.
But in many ways, it is also very similar. Especially the people. It consistently amazes me that regardless where I go in the world, the people are genuinely good. The country changes, the politics change, the economy changes, but everywhere I’ve been, each place has their fair share of good people. There are going to be people that don’t like you. But for every one that hates you, there is a host that enjoy what you bring.
To be clear - there are very good people here.
Regardless where you go, the culture is going to be different, but different doesn’t mean bad. It forces people to view the world, their lives, and their place in it in a different light. It forces people to open their minds, open their views, and open their hearts…or to close them down and become bitter.
For the last ten months, I’ve lived in Australia. I’ve enjoyed the experience. For regular readers, they know that I’ve written volumes about the experience. And that I’ve enjoyed it.
My time here is not done. There is a host of things that I would like to accomplish personally and professionally. As much as I miss my family and my friends, today, this is where I belong.
Recently, I had a very difficult choice to make - I had a host of options in front of me, most of which that would lead me closer to home…some that would, for a time, leave me far away.
I chose, for the time being, the one farther away.
For those that haven’t guessed, I’ve committed to staying here in Australia for the next year or two. I’ve got a fair amount to grow, a fair amount to develop, a fair amount to learn. I will miss my family and friends, but this isn’t permanent. It is only one more step in this pilgrimage we call life.
