My jungle excursions always cause me to reflect on life, and wonder if I’m going about it right.
I see people living in grass huts, surviving on food from the jungle, living in shorts and t-shirts and walking around in the mud in bare feet. I see them sitting on the side of the gravel road built solely for this project I’m involved with, and I watch them talk and laugh like their whole soul is laughing. I’ve no idea what they do all day other than sit there, or walk up the road to another spot and sit there to laugh some more, but they seem pretty content with doing so.
They have no TV, no laptops or iPhones or iPads or PS3′s or Xboxes etc. None of the trappings of life that have so entrapped us. I enjoy my creature comforts far too much to pack up shop and move to the jungles – and besides, I really can’t see wifey agreeing to such an idea… No, I’m not thinking anything so extreme, but the view of the world from this side of the trees does cause me to take a moment and consider things in a different light. It makes the things I usually get cranky or annoyed about feel quite insignificant and often petty.
It’s an inspiring land, an amazing world. I’ve no doubt that life here would be incredibly tough (I suspect life expectancy would be half of someone living in a first world country, if not less). No doubt about that at all. I know I wouldn’t survive, but that’s cool. I’m fine with knowing my limits. I’m content to visit every so often and be reminded of what’s really important in life, and then to return home with that lesson stowed away for future use.
Hopefully it’s a lesson I learn well.