Rockin' Good Job!

Ya’ll.  Let me just tell you.  It is hard to blog! I am trying so hard to keep up with so much! I feel like maintaining communication with all my loved ones has become a part time job.  (a part time job that I love, but still a part time job!)   When talking to Aaron earlier today I said, “you know what I miss most? My cell phone!!” It is so easy to keep up with folks when you can shoot them a text on a break from work, or give them a phone call on your afternoon drive home.

It has been a while since I have blogged.  I am trying to even find a way to fit all of our exciting adventures into one post. 

Let’s begin with Sunday! 20 boys ages 5 to 17, four islanders (me, Aaron, Kendall and Harrison) ;) 12 college students, three cars.  Imagine all of us fitting in three cars, driving a thirty minute drive to the beaches of west bay.  It was quite the adventure.  We went to church on Sunday and upon dismissal from church we were greeted by a group of about 20 boys waiting with their bathing suits on and all ready to go! So we went.  36 people bombarded the beaches of west bay and kept a large group of sun bathing tourist entertained for a good two hours! What a memory that will be, sheer chaos but a great memory. 

Yesterday morning:  Let me just paint this picture, Martha and Aaron on the search for some fresh picked coconuts!

Two Americans + a stick+ a rock+ multiple climbing attempts+ some cheerleading moves + 20 minutes = 0 coconuts.

One islander + a long stick + 30 seconds = Four coconuts.

That’s all I will say about our coconut adventure!

Spent some time in the Roatan public hospital, and boy it was frightening.  We are doing work on the emergency room and have seen the most shocking use (misuse) of medical supplies and the raw reality that the funds and materials are just not something the hospital has access to.  It sucks to see all this but the great thing I have experienced this trip is the mindset of finding solutions.  I am not typically a result or solution oriented person, but I am starting to see the light.  I am gaining the ability to appreciate the present and being a living breathing part of what is happening right now and also recognizing a need and the most efficient way to solve it.  I have seen that feeling sorry and worrying about the folks affected by this lifestyle is a total and complete waste of time.  So I am throwing it out the window, Goodbye sorrow and worry!

Hello happy solutions.

Here’s the deal…Kendall, Aaron and I have had a lot of conversation on the topic of Americans and productivity.  As Americans we feel that our personal value is set by our accomplishments, by what we do.  So if we are not working, or having some deep impact on something we feel worthless.  Is this true? If it is true is it necessarily a bad thing?  After numerous chats I feel like of course there is a lot of gray to explore.  Productivity is a great thing! What I struggle with is, “Why is my idea of productivity shaped by someone else’s opinion.”  This got me thinking about when I was young and my mom would tell me to clean my room. I would stay up there for hours and make a bigger mess than it was when I got there but my drawers would be perfectly folded and color coordinated!  Well at 7 years old I was thinking I did a rockin’ good job! Unfortunately, my mother was less than impressed.  Now fast forward 15 years and I am an adult.  I have been given the tools to decide myself what I value as productivity. I should be able to justify within myself and only myself whether or not I feel productive and the things that make me feel that way.  Why are we so often forced to believe that what we value and what we personally find a victory is somehow less than impressive?  So here in Roatan I am challenging myself to find a new definition of productivity.  What do I do that makes me feel most accomplished without any external pressure?  What really and truly fills my bucket?