A call, a feeling, an unwelcome desire to reach a place beyond my home
I chose to turn and chase a path that would pave the way to worldy dreams
But that was not my path and despite the deviations
I was lead back to where I belong.
I wanted to live a 'normal life' -
To have job security, a home, a family - and everything else that comes with human dreams
But I came to realise that my joy was to be found elsewhere
Not in the known nor five year life plans or in one place alone
But to live according to the certainty of the unknown.
An unknown not so unknown - at least not to Him.
He never promised safety
Nor did He say it'd be easy
'Look up and follow' was all I heard
Blinded by His light yet guided by it all the same.
My moto journey from Cyahinda to Butare takes me on a 40 minutes ride, skirting around the edges of mountains/hills and looking down into lush green valleys - all on dirt roads. From there, I hit the asphalt paved roads for another 45 minutes before reaching the 'big-not-so-big' city of Huye/Butare. At one point during a recent journey, I heard the usual, 'muzungu' cry and looking up from the valley I caught sight of 2 little boys waving frantically at me and trying to run alongside the moto. They were running rather precariously through branches and an unmarked path along the side of the hill and as I waved back, huge grins filled their faces and they turned to each other and laughed. I half expected them to high-five each other - but this is not the US/UK. A simple sight of a simple joy.
I savoured the moment when the moto driver turned off the engine and we rolled down and around the mountain path, allowing me to soak in the peaceful scenery with only the sound of the muffled wind and the wheels rushing past my helmet-hidden ears. I continued looking down because the valleys just seemed so perfectly carved and formed and in those moments where I dared to look up, I saw cloudless skies and small settlements dotted around the mountain tops. How these houses are reached is anybodies guess because there are no marked roads that go up that far - only what seems like extremely steep well trodden paths that line and weave up the sides of the mountains.
I was reminded of a remark that a colleague made to me once on a walk - mentioned in one of my posts from last year when I first arrived in Cyahinda - 'When I climb/walk uphill, I think of the hardships we face in life but then when we walk downhill, I am reminded of the good things and the ease of life.' Something along those lines - I want to add that when you reach the top after all those trials and hardships, the view from the top will take your breath away. Looking back (in hindsight), you'll see the path you trod and be amazed at how you ever defeated the rocks and trees that lay across your path. Sometimes we spend so much of our time looking down, trying to place our feet carefully on what would appear to be solid ground that we miss the beauty of what lies above - the graceful glide of a Kite, the rhino-shaped cloud, the children running excitedly to try to greet you, the mysterious house perched alone on the edge of the hillside, the calling to simply trust.
It's been raining pretty heavily here, but then again, it is the 'rainy season!' I've been wearing my wellies to school as the road that leads up to it is always potted with numerous puddles and squelchy mud. Looking down is a futile exercise because you can never tell if you're going to sink or slide no matter where you place your foot. And so, I'm reminded to look up. I cannot always prevent myself from slipping or falling - I'd rather have enjoyed the view and slipped than been so cautious that I fell anyway and missed what was around me.
Today I want to be thankful for the sights I've seen, the people I've met and the experiences I've had that have lead me here. It took me 13 years of looking up (although I'm sure more often down,) to be able to dream of dreams fulfilled.
I savoured the moment when the moto driver turned off the engine and we rolled down and around the mountain path, allowing me to soak in the peaceful scenery with only the sound of the muffled wind and the wheels rushing past my helmet-hidden ears. I continued looking down because the valleys just seemed so perfectly carved and formed and in those moments where I dared to look up, I saw cloudless skies and small settlements dotted around the mountain tops. How these houses are reached is anybodies guess because there are no marked roads that go up that far - only what seems like extremely steep well trodden paths that line and weave up the sides of the mountains.
I was reminded of a remark that a colleague made to me once on a walk - mentioned in one of my posts from last year when I first arrived in Cyahinda - 'When I climb/walk uphill, I think of the hardships we face in life but then when we walk downhill, I am reminded of the good things and the ease of life.' Something along those lines - I want to add that when you reach the top after all those trials and hardships, the view from the top will take your breath away. Looking back (in hindsight), you'll see the path you trod and be amazed at how you ever defeated the rocks and trees that lay across your path. Sometimes we spend so much of our time looking down, trying to place our feet carefully on what would appear to be solid ground that we miss the beauty of what lies above - the graceful glide of a Kite, the rhino-shaped cloud, the children running excitedly to try to greet you, the mysterious house perched alone on the edge of the hillside, the calling to simply trust.
It's been raining pretty heavily here, but then again, it is the 'rainy season!' I've been wearing my wellies to school as the road that leads up to it is always potted with numerous puddles and squelchy mud. Looking down is a futile exercise because you can never tell if you're going to sink or slide no matter where you place your foot. And so, I'm reminded to look up. I cannot always prevent myself from slipping or falling - I'd rather have enjoyed the view and slipped than been so cautious that I fell anyway and missed what was around me.
Today I want to be thankful for the sights I've seen, the people I've met and the experiences I've had that have lead me here. It took me 13 years of looking up (although I'm sure more often down,) to be able to dream of dreams fulfilled.
A beautiful post May! Know the feeling well! :)
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