14 February 2012

Today I'm cheating and am using a photo first from the time period to which I'm referring then one from near today's date.
This past summer, as I'm sure I've written before, I had the wonderful opportunity of a lifetime to travel to the South Pacific. If that wasn't a life changing experience, I don't know what would be. Not only was I able to experience many things, I was able to learn many new cultures and ways of life that I never had even thought possible. It seems hard to try and imagine a life where you don't have the basic necessities and luxuries that you have today at home. I wonder what we would do without them in our everyday lives. I'm sure that many people would seem lost. Some people in this world don't understand how well off they have it. They don't know what they have until it's gone. They don't truly grasp all that is available to them until they see it all slipping away beyond the horizon.

I've seen a place where children don't know what a camera's function is, where there isn't a television or computer in walking distance, and where there are absolutely no sounds except the water rushing by and the chirping of birds. That life is truly easier. In this day in age we're all so opinionated that we let it get in the way of the relationships that we have with each other. I think that we would all end up being better off if we try to understand more, be supportive, and love one another. A main thing that keeps us going in life is love. Without love, there's no support, and without support there is no point to much of what we do in life. Looking back on life, there should be only a few things that truly matter to you...your friends and family, the good times that you had, and the many things that you were able to accomplish by the support of a loved one and a better understanding of whatever situation you're faced with. We should more often be leaving soft and gentle handprints on the hearts of the people we love in life instead of always inflicting hard indents on those we don't stop long enough to understand and truly care about.