Why Not Me?

"The craziest thing we can do is nothing." -Charity: Water

 Two weeks ago I celebrated my 37th birthday. I had a very nice day, but being the person I am, milestone days such as that always create a time for me to pause and reflect on the prior year and the year going forward. Writing feels like it became a lost art in the midst of a busy time of life, and when I was recently challenged to do something that makes me happy every day for the next 6 weeks, I chose to bring writing back into the mix. It's not the only thing I chose, so I won't write every day, but you may see me pop up here in the next few weeks a little more often.

 For my birthday, my daughter took me book shopping and out for coffee. Three of my favorite things: being with her, finding a book, and enjoying coffee. My days with her are fleeing, as she goes into her Senior year. We laughed, we spent a few hours (literally) browsing books, getting excited and narrowing them down to a couple. It was a special time. The book I chose was called Thirst, which is about a man who formed a charity. I highly encourage the read of the book, as his story is compelling and inspiring. I won't retell his story here, but it brought thoughts into my mind's process of life as it stands today.

 His charity is the one who coined the phrase "The craziest thing we can do is nothing." I kind of fell in love with that phrase. Now, doing nothing sometimes is a good idea- to slow down, to rest, to take in the moments. I don't think he was meaning to say always be busy. The point is that when we see a need, doing nothing about it is crazy. If we aren't here to help others, to offer a hand when someone is down, to say an encouraging word, to love the hurting, to buy someone coffee and just listen, to bring laughs instead of anger, to give a hug.... then why? The craziest thing we can do is nothing...

  Something that has been said to me before is "Why does it have to be you?" My response is... "Why NOT me?"  I am not rich. I am not famous. I do not have a million hours to give. I am one person in the scheme of billions on this planet. But why not me?  God takes the most broken, the most beat up stories often and uses them for multiplying His kingdom through love. Why not me? I get crazy ideas often. It usually  happens when I am out running, clearing my head, moving slowly, but just letting the thoughts flow. Not every idea is a good one, but if I simply said "Nah... not me..." I would not be who I am.

 I've also been learning that sometimes the best Yes we get is actually a No... but that can be very hard to accept. However,  a "no" doesn't mean walk away. A "no" can mean knock on another door. Don't give up. Keep going. And through the process, learn. Through the process, grow. And keep going. Keep being you. A no can mean a yes to a greater opportunity. I've seen that, I'm learning that. I am applying that in several ways.

 I chose the word Purpose at the beginning on 2019 and I don't think I've ever felt more impact from a word reiterating itself to me all year long. I am reminded who I am. As I can at times be told no, I recall I have a greater purpose and I carry on with that, one step at a time.

 Through this last year, moments I have not blogged include a solo trip to Colombia, which was the most impactful ever, graduating with my associates (and soon to enter my bachelor degree pursuit), trips to various new locations, and I've gained new friends. I have done tasks in my job to be honest no one will ever know I did, I have faced ugly confrontations that brought out a side to me I didn't know I had, and I have learned to say no - (saying it can be as hard as accepting it at times). I have learned the value of true friendship.

 I have new crazy ideas brewing, which include the start up of a non-profit foundation (which was born in my head nearly a year ago, I said no several times, but now we are in pursuit of doing it... hence I say No sometimes is just a redirection to a new Yes).

 I want to close by telling a story. Bear with me. It is significant, I promise.

 You all know Colombia is dear to me. In March 2019 I made a trip there solo. It changed my life, even more than I already had been. We traveled to 16 communities. I listened. I asked questions. I learned. When I came home, a foundation I had worked with going into the trip bought several bags from the Indigenous tribe, the Zenú. When I delivered the bags, the founder told me of a project my church was launching into (that I had not learned of at that point) to pack boxes of dry meals that get shipped to people in need. Long story short, my church agreed to pack those meals to be sent to Colombia, something the organization has never done.
  My church packed 40,797 meals! I was blown away.

 Next, it was my task to figure out the shipping. It was going to cost $5,000 to ship it in containers. That felt daunting, but not impossible. I began conversations. Through an accidental mentioning, I got the crazy idea to ask a contact in the Air Force if there were any planes going to Colombia. I knew it was far-fetched. But I asked. And through that, I got a YES! There is a program that exists to do such shipments. Well, through that, the foundation learned of it, and had un-designated meals in their warehouse, and decided to add to what we had packed... and through that, we now will send 285,000 meals to Colombia! It is incredible!!

 Now, we have run into some hiccups with the paperwork on the Colombian side, but I am not giving up. That is not uncommon to happen. A "no" can just be a redirection. Through this redirection, I have met others doing work in Colombia. Through meeting those others, more forces can be joined together to create a difference. We aren't there yet with our final solution, but I do have faith it is within reach...

 So, my friend, the craziest thing I can do is nothing. What if I hadn't gone to Colombia? What if my church didn't pack food? What if I didn't ask the Air Force about taking it in? What if....

 I don't share this story to say "Yay, Rachael!" In fact, I hesitated to share it. But I share it because I am learning that stepping out of our comfort zones, pushing through hard changes, making asks, risking "no"... those are applications to make this next year. And maybe the story will inspire or encourage you to do the same.

  So, Why Not me? May this year be my craziest year yet!