perspective

Before moving to Cambodia I thought Kenyon and I lived a relatively simple life. Neither of us drove fancy cars - his was a truck over 10 years old with some of the inside parts duct taped together, mine was the blue ant. When I was selling the blue ant people would ask about the style of the vehicle, my response was, "if you are looking for a car as a status symbol, this is not the car for you. it is fuel efficient and will get you from A to B no problem." We lived in a basement apartment. We rarely spent money on clothes or shopping and we rarely dined out. The furniture we owned I have had for years. We had some camping stuff and Christmas decorations in a storage closet in our apartment, but no need for external storage of our stuff. We led a simple life by American standards.

In preparation for the move to Cambodia we liquidated our assets. Sold furniture. Sold our vehicles. Donated loads of stuff to Goodwill and fit what remained in nine boxes, plus six travel bags. There were a few special pieces of furniture that my friend Angela is storing, but it isn't enough to furnish a house of any size. When we return to the States, we will essentially be starting over. It felt like I had been peared down to the bare minimum of my possessions. It was an eye opening process for me as I believed I wasn't attached to stuff, but quickly realized how hard it was for me to get rid of my stuff - books were the worst, I really struggled in parting with my book collection.

It is amazing to me what a difference a few weeks makes. We have been in Cambodia for approximately three weeks now. I have the same amount of stuff - nine boxes and six travel bags. Here that amount of stuff is wealth beyond measure. I still have a closet full of clothes - clothes for work, clothes for exercise, clothes for play. Many of those around me have the clothes on their back. I have a bed to sleep in with pillows and a matress in a protected home while many of those around me don't have shelter, or live in shanties and sleep on the floor. I eat three meals a day and sometimes discard things because I don't like the taste, while others around me go hungry, or work long hours to make a small salary that is barely enough to feed their family one meal a day. Not only do I have access to books, but as a female living in America I was given an opportunity to learn to read. I am rich. I am blessed. I am privileged. What did I do to deserve such gifts? Nothing.

Over the years I have often been asked what I get out of this type of work. My answer, "perspective. I get a fresh perspective on my life and an appreciation for all I've been given."

What a difference a few weeks and a few thousand miles can make!