Giving up is letting go of all your notions and premeditated resentments, all of your hopes of not failing others; giving up is realizing you can’t do it. – Timbrel Jacknitsky
Thursday, July 12, 2012 (DAYS 130 - 133)
In spite of renting my small private sweatbox of a room for the entire month at Orlando’s House I’ve grown a bit weary walking alone across central park after my shift ends at 11pm, and, even in spite of the location only being a few blocks away I consistently remind myself of the safety precautions I should take regardless of the fact that I’m in Central America, New York City, or even Thornton, Colorado. The benefit and ease of having everything in one central location is also a large help and since I still have a few weeks of the prepaid private room I have decided not to let it go to waste but have paid it forward by passing it on to my friend Marc whose funds are beginning to dwindle. The first time I met this British bloke was almost four months ago in Poptun, Guatemala, and since he is working to raise funds for local orphanages from Mexico to Peru with his organization The Long Time Coming, I figured this was a great way to help him out as well.
In spite of renting my small private sweatbox of a room for the entire month at Orlando’s House I’ve grown a bit weary walking alone across central park after my shift ends at 11pm, and, even in spite of the location only being a few blocks away I consistently remind myself of the safety precautions I should take regardless of the fact that I’m in Central America, New York City, or even Thornton, Colorado. The benefit and ease of having everything in one central location is also a large help and since I still have a few weeks of the prepaid private room I have decided not to let it go to waste but have paid it forward by passing it on to my friend Marc whose funds are beginning to dwindle. The first time I met this British bloke was almost four months ago in Poptun, Guatemala, and since he is working to raise funds for local orphanages from Mexico to Peru with his organization The Long Time Coming, I figured this was a great way to help him out as well.
Friday feels like a Mohawk kind of day and I am just in luck as Cocó and Sami combine in a joint international effort in the attempt of cutting my hair. And, who said Panamanians and Brazilians couldn’t work together to create masterpiece works of art, even if it is slightly crooked? Thanks again girls, it still makes me look like a rock star! In the background I can faintly hear the appalling gasps of Jamie Williams, the girl that cut my hair for more than six years, and would consistently tell me she loved the texture of it more than all of her other clients. I had to constantly remind her that her creepy infatuation with my hair was not going to work in her attempt at seducing me no matter how many free sample size bottles of Head & Shoulders she threw at me. I’ll never forget the day that I had my last haircut from her and the pain in her eyes when she heard that, not only was I leaving the country, but, that I would be buzzing my hair down to practically nothing out of convenience rather than style. But, I’m back! And ready to rock harder than most of the dorm beds I’ve slept in over the past one hundred and thirty days!
The days around SJDS begin to roll in to one another creating a cluster of memories that are absent of exact dates to reference them with pinpoint accuracy–it is with these jumbled thoughts that I am reminded of the excessive freedom I have gained and now share with only a small percentage of people that have also chosen to live life not centered around materialism, often because none of us can afford to, but rather to be collectors of memories through the unique experiences we now share. I wonder if I will ever grow tired of hearing and asking what day or even what month it is over nightly conversations with a group of new friends. Because I feel certain that if I ever did, that would be the indication that my adventure has come to an end, and honestly, I cannot foresee that happening any time soon, nor do I want to leave behind a life that I have lived consisting of just the bare necessities at times. When I can fit all of my worldly possession into a single backpack, it reminds me of how little each person needs to actually survive, and the luxuries I took for granted were just that, luxuries. And, surprise, surprise, I am more happy and feel more alive than I did when I was living the so-called American dream complete with home ownership, a great salary, even a 401k plan. It is extremely humbling to see how little people live off of and what they find truly important in their lives. I will end this with a quote from a friend that has inspired me to leave behind my past successes and to take the risk on seeing what life can truly be, “on the chance you’re not going to live forever why not take a chance on being happy now.” – Mary Glass.
RSS Feed
