from the woods to the water

I've been reading Eat, Pray, Love since I moved to North Carolina this past January. It usually doesn't take me much time to read through a book, especially an easy read like this one. Living in the woods makes it hard to read, though. Usually I'm dealing with problems or writing progress notes...or trying to sit still in the darkness, hoping the bugs won't notice my existence and attack.

As I look back on the last 8 months, I feel like in some kind of way, my time in North Carolina has mirrored the story told by Elizabeth Gilbert in her book. She takes a year to find herself, first in Italy for 4 months, eating her way through paradise. She learns to love herself, to enjoy the adventure life provides and to soak in new experiences.

My first four months in North Carolina were just that: traveling as much as possible, eating new foods (like shrimp & grits and pork barbecue, despite my disgust for all things pork), and soaking in the adventure of it all.

Gilbert then travels to India for 4 months. She lives in an ashram, dying of heat, covered in bugs, but simultaneously experiencing freedom and experiencing God. She makes lifelong friends and sees the adventure not just as a pleasurable experience, but one where she can learn commitment, devotion, and selflessness.

My last four months at camp have been just that. The heat and bugs have robbed me of not only my energy and blood, but my patience. In the midst of it all, though, I've learned what it means to survive under immense pressure and difficulty. I've come to better understand the reasons why I struggle to reconcile what I know of God and what I've been told of God. I've connected with people that I know will be a part of my life for a long time, and I've really learned to love my kids regardless of the problems they throw. I am a stronger woman because of this summer.

Liz and I have ate together, we've prayed together, and it looks as if we will love together for these last four months. I'm beginning to read about her travels to Indonesia for the last leg of her journey. I haven't read much into it yet, but some spoilers have told me she falls in love. I'm excited to see what she learns of love because true to our connected journeys, my heart has found a home away from the woods. My heart is with a man who lives on a sailboat, and as I begin this last leg of my first year in North Carolina, I'm spending my time either in the woods or on the water.