Learning How to Live, Not Just Exist
If there is one thing I want for my employees to learn, it's that life really is worth living...not just surviving! Too many people in Honduras are forced to just exist because of many factors beyond their control. Hondurans, I think, by their very nature are a humble, passive people. I have often observed they are reluctant to take risks. And why should they? After all, risk taking in Honduras could cause a person to loose their life! None the less, today I decided to live a little myself. Dr. Marvin Pineda, the clinic's doctor is a motorcycle enthusiast. I asked him if he would take me up to the clinic this morning on his motorcycle. He laughed a little bit surprised that his boss wanted to try her luck out on the dirt roads of this Honduran mountain in western Santa Barbara. The trip was amazing. I had forgotten how wonderful the rainforest smells and how beautiful the birds songs are. Always in such a hurry to get to work, I too had forgotten to live.
As the employees giggled and chucked, I couldn't help but notice even perhaps a glimmer of envy in the nurses eyes as I pulled into the project on the back of Marvin's bike. God forbid that this lost "Dorothy" from Kansas break the rules for being the ever prim and proper example of femininity. When I am gone from this place, and my nurses are all grandmothers who tell their grandchildren about the crazy gringa with whom they worked so many years ago, I hope they will remember me not only for my quirks, but as a woman who taught them that life, most certainly is a ride to be enjoyed! Blessings, Lisa
If there is one thing I want for my employees to learn, it's that life really is worth living...not just surviving! Too many people in Honduras are forced to just exist because of many factors beyond their control. Hondurans, I think, by their very nature are a humble, passive people. I have often observed they are reluctant to take risks. And why should they? After all, risk taking in Honduras could cause a person to loose their life! None the less, today I decided to live a little myself. Dr. Marvin Pineda, the clinic's doctor is a motorcycle enthusiast. I asked him if he would take me up to the clinic this morning on his motorcycle. He laughed a little bit surprised that his boss wanted to try her luck out on the dirt roads of this Honduran mountain in western Santa Barbara. The trip was amazing. I had forgotten how wonderful the rainforest smells and how beautiful the birds songs are. Always in such a hurry to get to work, I too had forgotten to live. 
As the employees giggled and chucked, I couldn't help but notice even perhaps a glimmer of envy in the nurses eyes as I pulled into the project on the back of Marvin's bike. God forbid that this lost "Dorothy" from Kansas break the rules for being the ever prim and proper example of femininity. When I am gone from this place, and my nurses are all grandmothers who tell their grandchildren about the crazy gringa with whom they worked so many years ago, I hope they will remember me not only for my quirks, but as a woman who taught them that life, most certainly is a ride to be enjoyed! Blessings, Lisa
1 comment:
Good post. Yes Hondurans seem passive and not risk-takers. Does poverty and hard work cause them to forget about dreams and hopes. Even a little happiness sometimes seems beyond reach. I discovered your blog via a friend's link on Facebook. Good job.
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