Lately my soul has been craving adventure, a change from the norm. There is a part of me that needs the adventure of experiencing other cultures, learning from other people and other ways of life. Being a single waitressing/bartending grad student, funds limit my ability to do this as often as I would like. Let's be real. If I could travel as a professional lifestyle, I would.
Simultaneously, my soul has been craving solidarity with the poor. I miss the slums of Cambodia. I miss the streets of Thailand. I miss the barefooted children I meet in dumps and play soccer with in garbage settlements. I love their little feet, their little smiles, the simple delight in their eyes when they play. I love what they teach me about life and love.
I've also been wanting to get into a healthy rhythm of eating lately. Working in a bar/restaurant has NOT helped the weight goals. And while I want to say me and my health is enough to keep my from snacking on messed up orders, potato chips, fries and other health hazards conveniently within arms reach, its not. I need a purpose beyond myself. Or rather, a purpose deeper within myself.
And I've been missing my spiritual rhythms...things that tie me to humanity and the common human experience. Things that keep me mindful of the world around me that looks so different than the world in front of me. Things that keep me rooted in love and God and compassion and justice and mercy on a daily basis. Things that feed my soul, my spirit, my heart, and my mind. I need a deepening to occur in my life.
All of this has been stewing in me for at least a year, if not longer. And tonight it came to a solution. A four year solution. A four year journey. A four year adventure.
I'm going to dedicate each week to a different country in the world (40/52 weeks that is. I'm realistic and am leaving room for travel and life to occur....they say 80/20 is the goal with clean eating... so I stuck with those numbers for this adventure).
One day a week I'm going to eat only what the poor eat in that country, and spend time as I do praying for solutions to global poverty and hunger and other issues that plague the country. For the rest of the week, I will set aside one meal a day to eat a traditional, common dish of the country (probably the same dish every day....cook enough of the common dish to last five meals throughout the week), thanking God for the people and culture that provide the dish. One day a week I rest/have a free day. During the week I will research that country and learn more about my global family. I even plan to eat the foreign dish like the locals do (country #1 is Afghanistan and they eat with their fingers... not going to lie... super looking forward to doing this).
This may not seem exciting to you, but I am so looking forward to this rhythm and discipline. I'm excited to learn and explore other cultures, learn more about global issues that face these cultures, and grow intellectually and spiritually through this. I plan to post regularly about my experiences, the dishes I'm eating, and the things I'm learning. I'm excited to see how this develops and plays out over the years to come. I'm so excited for this rhythm and the richness I can already feel it holds.
I know it's going to wreck me. How do you read stories of children dying from malnutrition and not be effected? How do you invite the stories of injustice into your heart and not be changed? Especially living in an environment fueled by consumption and waste? Sure, there will be weeks that are less heart breaking food wise than others... but there will be some that are absolutely heartbreaking. It'll be a journey. It'll be a ride.
But I'm ready. I'm ready to discover. To learn. To grow.
