The Weird (Sometimes) and the Wonderful
Having spent my 30th birthday in Texas with M (thanks yall!) it was time to move north to the almighty Arkansas. A very good friend from my Exeter days was living in a small peaceful town located near the border between Oklahoma and Arkansas. A whirlwind of fun and activity was about to take place. From my memories of our times in Exeter, I would have found H anywhere in the world as I knew that fun was close to being guaranteed.
I was excited to meet her family and her sisters Heidi, Harmony, Hope (yes my friend's name also starts in H) ... I had heard so much about them ... they didn't disappoint. Her family welcomed me in and I indulged in their kindness and lightheartedness. It's an awesome feeling when you meet people and can share a belly laugh with them 2 minutes after meeting them.
If I had to list the many activities I experienced in the space of 3 short days I would include a picnic in a park, coffee on broadway, a french party, an adventure ride to a casino on Cherokee owned land (I won big! ...3 times my bet!), a trip to Walmart (this IS a big deal in Walmart-Country-Arkansas), a visit of the Walmart Museum (remember those 7 points of success), cooking pancakes (twice!) , eating potluck, seeing Kangaroos, Emus, Zebras, Tigers ... etc in a safari park, relaxing next to waterfalls... the list goes on.
But more than a list of extremely cool things experienced with an awesome group of people, I enjoyed spending quality time with a very good friend and getting to know a little bit more about faith. I am not really a religious person. I am not sure if it's because of the overbearing nature of Catholicism (being born and bread in France!) or the ostentatious ornaments within churches that make me wonder whether that money could have been better spent elsewhere, or the inherent dogma attached to most religions ... For those reasons (and others) I would most likely consider myself agnostic.
But I learned a great deal about Christianity during my short time with H. I did my best to keep my mind open and my ears alert. I listened to other people's beliefs and even attended a Sunday service. What I saw was a group of people open to ideas, cherishing a strong belief without imposing it on others. I enjoyed the strong sense of community and immense solidarity that stemmed from this shared belief. It is also very comforting to believe that there is a superior being that is more powerful than anything we do, have or suffer ... Although I haven't quite made up my mind yet, I have learned a lot and am grateful for the good wishes and prayers I received.
All too soon it was time to say goodbye and head to slick LA. If you ever need to book a hotel and are not too fussed about which one it is, I would recommend you use Hotwire. As a treat, I booked into a 4 star hotel near the airport (paid 80 USD !!!) and enjoyed the luxuries for one last night. I had one day to kill in LA so I opted against fighting the famous traffic jams and contented myself with taking a free shuttle bus to the beach somewhere. It was a nice day out.
Next stop: Auckland, New Zealand.
I was excited to meet her family and her sisters Heidi, Harmony, Hope (yes my friend's name also starts in H) ... I had heard so much about them ... they didn't disappoint. Her family welcomed me in and I indulged in their kindness and lightheartedness. It's an awesome feeling when you meet people and can share a belly laugh with them 2 minutes after meeting them.
If I had to list the many activities I experienced in the space of 3 short days I would include a picnic in a park, coffee on broadway, a french party, an adventure ride to a casino on Cherokee owned land (I won big! ...3 times my bet!), a trip to Walmart (this IS a big deal in Walmart-Country-Arkansas), a visit of the Walmart Museum (remember those 7 points of success), cooking pancakes (twice!) , eating potluck, seeing Kangaroos, Emus, Zebras, Tigers ... etc in a safari park, relaxing next to waterfalls... the list goes on.
But more than a list of extremely cool things experienced with an awesome group of people, I enjoyed spending quality time with a very good friend and getting to know a little bit more about faith. I am not really a religious person. I am not sure if it's because of the overbearing nature of Catholicism (being born and bread in France!) or the ostentatious ornaments within churches that make me wonder whether that money could have been better spent elsewhere, or the inherent dogma attached to most religions ... For those reasons (and others) I would most likely consider myself agnostic.
But I learned a great deal about Christianity during my short time with H. I did my best to keep my mind open and my ears alert. I listened to other people's beliefs and even attended a Sunday service. What I saw was a group of people open to ideas, cherishing a strong belief without imposing it on others. I enjoyed the strong sense of community and immense solidarity that stemmed from this shared belief. It is also very comforting to believe that there is a superior being that is more powerful than anything we do, have or suffer ... Although I haven't quite made up my mind yet, I have learned a lot and am grateful for the good wishes and prayers I received.
All too soon it was time to say goodbye and head to slick LA. If you ever need to book a hotel and are not too fussed about which one it is, I would recommend you use Hotwire. As a treat, I booked into a 4 star hotel near the airport (paid 80 USD !!!) and enjoyed the luxuries for one last night. I had one day to kill in LA so I opted against fighting the famous traffic jams and contented myself with taking a free shuttle bus to the beach somewhere. It was a nice day out.
Next stop: Auckland, New Zealand.
Labels: Arkansas, May 2008 USA, Silom Springs
