In Love With The Journey

I suppose there is something to February and its ability to warm our hearts.

It's all about Love and Heart and Connection.

As most of you know I spend nearly five years as a volunteer in orphanages overseas.

I fell in love with those places off the beaten path.

I adored the children that no one wanted.

I'm reading "Stones into Schools" by Greg Mortenson and it's reminding me of my journey.

You see while my time overseas was hardly a walk in the park, I enjoyed every moment...until I returned to the States.

Almost immediately I felt like a fool.

What was I thinking?

While all my peers where off getting degrees that allowed them to put letters behind their names, getting married, buying houses, having babies and living the American dream, I was---gallivanting around the world?

All of a sudden it seemed like a waste.

Like it meant nothing in a job interview. Like it had no value to a future spouse. Like it was worth NOTHING in this society.

Boy was I wrong.

Fast-forward five years and it means Everything to me.

My time overseas is my Inspiration. My Why. My JOY!

You see what I didn't understand back then was that everything serves a purpose. EVERYTHING.

It makes us who we are.

It prepares us for the next round.

It introduces us to the next chapter.

I urge you to Fall In Love with your Journey, even the parts that don't make sense, that seem like a waste.

They serve a real and beautiful purpose.

Monique Alvarez
http://DriveTheLine.com