Five Years Ago

At about this time five years ago, I was sitting on a plane waiting to come back to the U.S. I'd just spent the last five months in Australia, but my time was over. Sitting on the plane, I read a letter my friend Casey had written me and instructed me not to read until I'd at least boarded the plane.

As I read her words telling me how much I'd meant to her, tears began to roll down my cheeks. It was the second time I'd cried in the last few days -- the first time was when I'd said goodbye to one of my good "friends" who I'd realized wasn't just a friend after all. Although he didn't see me cry when I left him in my parking lot, he was the first guy that ever made me tear up.

And although I was sad to be leaving Australia, I loved the experience it had given me. At the time I just thought I'd had a great time meeting amazing people and petting "exotic" animals. But as I looked back months later...and now years later, I realize(d) that it wasn't just about feeding 28s, koalas, and 'roos. It changed me in a way that I didn't even think was possible. It opened my mind to what religion truly is; it taught me that karaoke is a blast; it showed me that Americans aren't the world's favorite citizens; and it introduced me to a group of people that I thought accepted me, yet pushed me to grow.

It was all those things that changed me...and five years later I'm just seeing the fruits from that time. It's odd that some of our most life-changing events don't seem so life-changing when we're in the moment.