Im writing a paper and figured going back through some old - TopicsExpress

Im writing a paper and figured going back through some old journals might be helpful. I found this entry from Singapore and thought maybe a couple of you whom I shared this time with might find this memory to be especially warm on this snowy day. Hello Incredible Self, Everyone is out doing different things right now so I have decided to take this evening opportunity to write near the pool. So with my pen, the fading light, and a ridiculously sugary coffee, I am writing to you. Being alone doesnt happen often here and I want to take advantage of every moment and two beautiful things happened today. First, I went to Little India this morning and fell a little bit in love. The bright colors called out to me and warmed me up in such a different way than this Singapore heat. And the second beautiful thing was getting caught in the random suddenness of a monsoon season downpour. I was all by myself, alone on the sidewalks. The crowded pathway cleared quickly. Soon it was just me and a few umbrellad people. The rain felt cool and refreshing on my sunburnt and sweaty skin. I basked. I beamed. I spun. I stopped. I felt the meaning of thank you. There is nothing like a spontaneous storm to wash the soul of all present ailments. Water can find its way through even the tiniest of cracks and today, it found its way through me. Lessons Ive learned so far on my trip: 1) The world is huge. 2) The world is small. 3) There is always a place for us. We can build anywhere and everywhere. 4) You are never actually alone. 5) Courage means letting your heart lead, followed by your faith, and then your feet. Thought catches up much later. 6) We are capable of so much more than we think. 7) Limitations are bullshit lies we tell ourselves. 8) Gangnam Style is funnier in Asia. 9) Elephants rule. If you dont like elephants, you suck. 10) Kids are one of two keys to showing us what matters. Elders are the other. Because in the most rudimentary sense, life is comprised of 3 things: being born, growing, and returning, again and again. 11) No one is secure all the time. We all fear. 12) Fear can lead to frozenness, but it can also be fuel for the fire. 13) There is nothing cooler than talking to two French-speaking Belgian girls in Spanish while chilling in hammocks at a farm in rural Thailand. Youll just have to trust me on that. 14) What people think about you is quite surprising and yet totally not surprising all at once. 15) Going gives meaning to coming home. 16) I have been blessed in all of the major world religions within the past two weeks--Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, and Hinduism--and I swear--I can feel each and every one of them. Faith is a precious gift no matter the form. 17) We cannot be born everywhere at once. We are limited by our humanness, but we are opened by our humanity. 18) This question is important: why not? Emily Holly Amanda Sharada Nirja (I didnt tag everyone because I wasnt sure if all of you would want this showing up on your wall--but I hope you know I thought of each of you in our Singaporean family and I miss you--and anyone who was tagged and doesnt want to be--remove it or ask me to and I will :)