Empty to Fill

There is much to be learned from the natural order of the world. Nature never hurries and we learn patience. Seasons shift and life cycles and we learn that the only constant is change. Beauty is all around us and we learn to stop and notice.

I felt the need to catch a deep breath and realized that I first needed to exhale. Fully exhale. The only way to get a deep breath is to completely exhale the last breath. Life is like that, isn’t it? To make room for something new, we must let go.

These days, I’ve been letting go of

1. My comfort: I’m living in a hot country where nothing is air conditioned, littering is not considered an offense, and donkeys leave their mark on the streets.

grocery shopping is a language lesson..

2. Pride in my ability to effectively communicate: I can communicate at only a basic level in the local languages. Essentially, I am a child again. This is quite humbling.

3. My habits and routines: My life has been turned around and I don’t even know what is normal anymore.

Upon release of these things, I’ve gained

1. A greater appreciation for the ugly beautiful. I look beyond the piles of

   

   Moroccan pottery

   trash and see the mighty Atlantic. I marvel at a people who, even in the midst of a sometimes harsh landscape, create beautiful things: rugs, pottery, delicious food, tile work, architecture, and strong communities.

   2. A new respect for language learners of all kinds; children and adults. I’m reminded that lack of skill in a particular language does not indicate stupidity.

3. The opportunity to build new habits and routines. It is possible that these ones may be better than the old ones!

the Atlantic on a foggy day

Join me, won’t you? Exhale, then inhale.

What are you emptying?

And with what shall you fill?