Our daughter was a Peace Corps volunteer and served 2 years and 3 months in Niger, West Africa. She lived in a little village by herself in the midst of a loving community of poverty-stricken people. She had no running water, no electricity, no trash pick-up, no grocery store, no medical care, no car, no cell phone, no laptop, no TV, and no mechanic to fix her aging motorcycle. She did have time – time to give to the people who looked to her for help and time to pay attention to people who rarely experienced the truth that they matter. She had people eager to be trained as local healthcare workers; she had an amazing sisterhood of fellow Peace Corps workers to support and to be supported by; she faced extreme challenges to her confidence, courage, creativity, endurance and strength that were entirely new and she was surrounded by the love and respect of her villagers who were amazed that she would choose to come and live with them.
We who are her family were amazed by her commitment, taught by her willingness to give of herself in this way and changed by the whole experience. The one main thing that became very obvious to me then (and has in many other ways since) is that there are some things important to do in this world, and some things we need to do in our lives where we will not be safe. That is almost a blasphemous statement in today’s culture. Safety has become a “right” we believe we deserve. But the truth is there are some things that are more important than being safe and as long as we protect ourselves so carefully we limit our ability to live life at the depth it offers. We rob ourselves of the very experiences that build our character from the inside out.
Our daughter said that there were a lot of things much harder than living without electricity . . . I say there are a lot of things much more important than being safe.
Janie Cook is a retired teacher who lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, Gareth. She shares her days with family and friends (a precious privilege), facilitates a bereaved parents’ support group and enjoys digging in the Texas Hill Country dirt & learning about natural gardening.
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Oh, Janie – Once again, your writing is so beautiful, thoughtful and thought-provoking. Thank you for being you, and for sharing your heart with us.
Well said. I’m going to make a sign that says “there are a lot of things much more important than being safe” and put it someplace I can see it everyday.
Thanks