what would you say?

I have lived in Belize for 6 months now and it feels like I've spent years here; time definitely moves at its on pace when you're on an island. I'm preparing to go home to Texas for a visit this week and I'm not sure what to expect. I know it will be a culture shock, but I look forward to seeing people, as well as how much I've changed in comparison to my old life. I don't necessarily look forward to explaining my story to every person who asks, but I have to deal with that here as well. There's nothing more annoying than the person who asks a question like how I ended up in Belize or something that requires some explaining, yet they start to glaze over when I answer the question. I do, however, actually love telling the story to people who genuinely want to hear about it. I guess I just have to read the person and give them as much as they can pay attention to. Good listeners are few and far between it seems like, but that just makes them more refreshing to be around. (Btw, I consider anyone who reads the blog to be a good listener:) It's actually pretty funny how much I've shortened my response to people who ask about my story. I think I've actually gotten it down to one or two sentences. I say, "I got an opportunity to come here and jumped on it, without ever having been here before, I sold my stuff, quit my job, stopped going to college and moved here without looking back." People tend to respect that answer the most. lol

what are we waiting for?

Since I've been out of America, I've had some room to breathe and discover some things about life and culture. I have come to a realization that up until I moved here, everything in my life has been a preparation of some sort for the future. Whether it was school or working or practicing this or that, I spent all of my time and effort preparing for an unknown future. Preparation is great and necessary to a certain extent, don't get me wrong, but I don't believe it is meant to consume our lives the way it does. In America, it tends to define us. In Belize, however, or at least on the island, we let tomorrow worry about itself. We like to stop and enjoy the life we've been given. If people were less concerned about the latest and greatest crap that they have to work so hard for, and just learn to be satisfied with very little, they wouldn't have to let so much of their precious time slip right through their fingers while they punch the clock day after day. Take my advice and relax and enjoy the day, I don't know, maybe sell some stuff and work less hours, it does wonders for your health.