Origin – Swedish The tangled feelings of fear and excitement before a journey begins.
"Anytime you’re gonna grow, you’re gonna lose something. You’re losing what you’re hanging onto to keep safe. You’re losing habits that you’re comfortable with, you’re losing familiarity." James Hillman
I read this quote when I feel a little panicked. I imagine there are moments in everyone’s life when they stop and ask, “How did I get here? How did this become my path?” When I think about moving to South Korea, I often have this moment.
Almost exactly 7 months ago, I was sent an email offering me the opportunity to move to Daejeon, South Korea as a Young Adult Volunteer with ten days to accept or decline the position. In those ten days, I talked to a handful of people I trusted (at my church, at my work, in my family). I often started the conversation with, “okay…so this is going to sound crazy…” and to my surprise, every response was encouraging, comforting, and receptive. These trusted friends and family almost consistently responded by telling me that I wasn’t crazy. Over those ten days, my inner dialogue changed. They were right. Such a unique opportunity, and I had the simple choice to say “yes” or “no.” I knew the answer was yes. Scary, difficult, a little out of left field, and amazing.
As a part of this experience, I am required to keep a blog (which many of you know, I am very hesitant about). I am not a particularly great writer. But I do know that the few of you that are reading this are the people that have continually loved and supported me, the people that certainly deserve to know what I am up to, and the people who will show the most amount of grace when reading up on my updates. I cannot promise to speak eloquently, often, or without grammatical error, but I do promise to speak honestly. I will always let you know my honest feelings and thoughts, when I do have a moment to blog.
Thank you all for your support! Expect more photos than words!
Here are some quick shots of my wonderful summer spent in Chicago, IL...
Chicago Blues Festival
Wrigleyville with family
Floatin' down the Chicago River
My favorite spot: my backyard