Dear Girlfriends,

On October 24, 2008, my excellent Indian adventure came to a screeching halt. As my documentary girlfriends and I parted in the airport it was bittersweet: so hard to say goodbye to those with whom we had experienced so much for the last fourteen days, and at the same time, so good to know that we wouldn’t be pitching our tents three to a room, that night!

We were an unlikely crew. Star is an entrepreneur who makes a living working a wide variety of jobs – everything from providing manicures to acting; Toni is a successful and focused litigator. Sue and I have each been married for 19 years; Jayna and Star are single. Froswa and Traci are active Christians who are raising kids; Sue is Jewish, with a recently empty nest; Jayna at 32 was the youngest in our group and defines herself as “quasi-new age unhippie pseudo-intellectual with skeptical tendencies and a secret supernatural bent.” Kids are not in her immediate future. We all possessed varying degrees of understanding of India’s culture, laws, and religions, while Nanci, our facilitator, having visited India over a dozen times, was an expert.

We were women of all sizes, from petite tiny-hineys to voluptuous va-va-va-booms. We were women of all colors, from nearly translucent to luscious dark chocolate. Our personalities spanned the gamut of slightly shy to in-your-face. At first blush you’d think we’d have nothing of importance in common. But in reality we possessed one critical, common bond.

We all knew that to live intentionally, we had to get off of the bus.

We knew that in order to fully capture life, we would have to do more than just watch it roll by as we looked through a window. And we all agreed that to make a difference in our world sometimes we’re going to be hot, cramped, stressed, and – well, there’s just no such thing as a good hair day in India. We knew that we could not be afraid to question and debate. And although we all had been selected to participate in the documentary, we also chose to accept the challenge of the adventure.

For fourteen days I lived intentionally and dreamed dramatically with six insightful, daring strangers as we became more than life spectators. I was blessed to be amongst the India Seven who hit the ground running.

So what about you, Girlfriend? In this rat-race world, do you find yourself thriving or just surviving? Maybe it’s time for you to get off the bus, too. Gain a fresh perspective. Impact your world. And choose a life of magnitude.

Looking for my next adventure,

Ellen