Spring is here

"When you've seen beyond yourself, then you may find, peace of mind is waiting there." -George Harrison

Wow, time is flying by right now... I can't believe it's the middle of April and spring break begins next week. Two full weeks of travel, relaxation, and sister fun! My little sis is finally coming to Europe and I am so excited to play hostess. I've even bought candies for her pillow!

I've been meaning to write, of course, but my thoughts lately are bits and pieces. Do you ever have those weeks on end where you rush around like a dog chasing its tail all day long, to feel at the end of each day that you've effectively done nothing because not a single task can be marked as complete? That's my life currently. But only 2 days to go and I can finally feel a sense of accomplishment and holiday goodness.

Some things warmed my heart today... I took a group of 8th graders to tour their new high school and felt a sense of joy and hope as I thought about them moving on and exponentially affecting the world. They were so mature and positive; it was nice to see. What a difficult age to be, in limbo of knowing oneself. Then tonight as I rode the train, an elderly Swiss woman kept looking over at me throughout the ride. As I exited the train, she told the young man sitting across from her to help me with my bags. After he carried them off, she gave me a wink and a smile. Love that. Just when I've had enough of the "no chivalry" culture that exists here, she made it all better.

Then to turn my attention to the dark side, I read some US news and commentaries about the current status of budget, money, etc. What is going on? A whole lot of "leaders" up to no good. My friend posted a status update on Facebook that read: Remember when teachers, public employees, Planned Parenthood, NPR and PBS crashed the stock market, wiped out half of our 401Ks, took trillions in TARP money, spilled oil in the Gulf of Mexico, gave themselves billions in bonuses, and paid no taxes? Yeah, me neither. I need to take a news fast for a little while, maybe over spring break. I'm usually the eternal optimist, but this current situation has me feeling hopeless. Very sad.

On a side note, most people I know in the states are also complaining about gas prices skyrocketing. Gas has been over $4/gallon here for who knows how long and it's not a subject discussed on the news or amongst groups of people. It just is the way it is, to be expected. Gas is like an IV drug in the US and they've got the masses hooked! When I'm there, I'm handcuffed to my car just like everyone else. It's a shame reliable public transportation doesn't exist in every city and that the general public hasn't bought in to that concept. Living in a place where you have the option to choose to buy or not to buy makes all the difference; it's actually empowering.

I'll be off traveling next week and will be posting some pictures. Promise to not wait around a month again. Love!