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.
Every minute
faithfully lived is a chance to practice the art of living. A life of magnitude
does not just happen; it is consciously chosen. - Marianne Williamson
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
Posted by Ellen on April 27, 2009 11:29 AM
| Category: On the Ground
I miss seeing you at bible study on Monday nights. It has been a blessing to hear about your India experience these past few months. We just got back from India on April 6th. This has been my fifth visit in two years. My husband has been many more times than that. I tell people there is nothing in India that keeps me going back except the sweet people.
