Exciting Adventures with Wonderful Friends

Yes, I know I haven't actually departed from American soil quite yet. I'm going to blog anyway. It gives me good practice to be a better blogger for you when it really counts.

So, yesterday I drove to Philadelphia (in the prius in the snow...) to visit a few wonderful, darling friends. Stop number one was taking the train into 30th Street Station to meet up with my friend Camille. Camille and I travelled to South Africa together in 2007 with the University of Delaware.

I know I am always spouting lauds about my phenomenal friends, but seriously. How can one person have so many. I'm incredibly blessed.

Seeing Camille was exciting for many reasons. She is working in Outdoor Education in Oregon so it was exciting to hear her talk about that. But, more importantly, it revitalized my energy for South Africa when we shared memories. (As if I wasn't already going insane with my pent up energy about leaving!!)

Anyways, I won't bore you with details, but I thought this picture embodies the silly wonderfulness of Camille and I.

Just a small moment of PB and J bliss before we took off to enjoy a night in Hatfield Square in South Africa's capital, Pretoria.

"If Madiba can do it, we can do it...."

Nelson Mandela in his Springbok rugby gear.

(courtesy of the Nelson Mandela foundation)

I wanted to post my thoughts and a little reflection about the wonderful movie Invictus, which I went to see last night with my friend Deanna.

I find myself very often getting very overwhelmed with the amount of hate in the world, with the amount of poverty, with the amount of war, with the amount of suffering.

Did you know that South Africa has the fastest growing AIDS rate in the entire world? Or that there are an estimated 1.5 million children in South Africa who have been orphaned by the virus?If you did, you probably also feel the crushing weight of these statistics.

Invictus was a reminder of why I won't let them discourage me.

Now, I don't know how much you know about Nelson Mandela, affectionately called "Madiba" by his country. (I have an amazing Madiba is my Homeboy shirt that I bought at an open air market in Pretoria). Let me tell you a little bit about him:

Mandela was elected president on April 27, 1994 during the first multiracial elections held in South Africa. People lined up for miles to vote:

But, a more important thing to know about Madiba is that before his election he spent 27 years as a political prisoner on Robben Island, a prison off the coast of Cape Town. Mandela was arrested because of his anti-Apartheid activities.

Now, to the point of this post....

When Mandela was released from Robben Island and elected president of South Africa, many people who had been persecuted by the Apartheid regime wanted vengeance.

Mandela would not have been out of line to seek this for himself. Yet, in an act of beautiful compassion, he did not seek revenge for his people. He began trying to unify the country in a way few could have ever accomplished.

With the help of Desmond Tutu (who happens to be my personal hero, but we can talk about that later), instead of punishment, Madiba began the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, saying:

"If there are dreams about a beautiful South Africa, there are also roads that lead to their goal. Two of these roads could be named Goodness and Forgiveness."

Some people find it difficult to face this type of compassion under the crushing weight of the horrible things I mentioned earlier in this post. But, with the help of a leader such as Madiba, South Africa began a spiral of liberating forgiveness unifying themselves as the Rainbow Nation. And, as one of Mandela's security guards said during the film Invictus, If Madiba can do it, we can do it.

A Living Sunset; or About the Blog and it's name.

So, I've spent the past two or three months trying to figure out what I am going to call the blog that follows my journeys, travels, and adventures. More importantly, that helps you get to know the lives of all the people I meet and paths I cross.

I didn't want to frivolously name something so important. So, here's why I named it what I did:

The title "A Living Sunset" comes from the Ben Harper song "A Better Way". I'll let you interpret them for yourself and then later I will tell you about what it means to me.

"Better Way"

I'm a living sunset

Lightning in my bones

Push me to the edge

But my will is stone

Fools will be fools

And wise will be wise

But i will look this world

Straight in the eyes

What good is a man

Who won't take a stand

What good is a cynic

With no better plan

Reality is sharp

It cuts at me like a knife

Everyone i know

Is in the fight of their life

Take your face out of your hands

And clear your eyes

You have a right to your dreams

And don't be denied

I believe in a better way