Miracles may happen everyday, but when I'm traveling, it seems like they're happening ever other hour. I landed in Sri Lanka
with no clue or expectation what I was getting myself into. Even the
decision to come here was so natural that I didn't consider it for a
moment. It should have been scary landing in such a foreign country
without a guidebook or even an idea of where to go. But as I said,
miracles just seem to happen when we live in harmony with the world
around us.I've been here for 3 days now and have been rendered
almost speechless by what I've experienced. If I had come here with any
expectations, they would have been shattered right away because nothing
could have prepared me for the simple beauties of this country. I have
been so at peace here that I have hardly been able to look beyond the
moment. The restlessness that usually pushes me from one destination to
the next has not entered my emotions even for a second. I was so
content in just being here that I have wanted to savor the most of
every minute. Maybe that's why my plans to travel with another were
almost instantly thrown out the window. I was simply so absorbed in my
own satisfaction that I could hardly begin to share this experience
with another.

From the beginning, this journey has felt so fresh and new, it was almost like being back in Fiji again. As I rambled around the streets of Hyderabad, rode alone in packed buses and trains through Southern India, and now arrived here in Sri Lanka,
I have approached this trip with a confidence and enthusiasm that I
have not felt since my first journey overseas. I have been more eager
to meet and share with others than I ever was in South America or Southeast Asia.
Though my personal growth and maturity has allowed me a newfound
confidence in my interactions, it is the wonderful hospitality of the
Sri Lankan people that has touched me so deeply.It's rare that
I find myself so content when traveling that I can hardly think beyond
the moment, but as I walked through Negombo the first day alone and
then yesterday with Rachel, I found myself unable to express to my
friends or to her the satisfaction that was washing over me. For in the
eyes and smiles of the people I passed on the street, I discovered a
sense of acceptance and interest that has slowed my busy mind and
forced me to appreciate each moment and encounter. The first 2 days
were so much like a dream that even I had to question this reality. I
thought that maybe it was the change from India
or the excitement of having a travel buddy that made the experience so
surreal. But then today as I found myself back on my own and anxious
about my next move, I let go of any worries or expectations and just
let the miracles begin to happen.I ran for miles on a beautiful sandy beach and felt as if my body were moving effortlessly
through the sand. I savored each step as my feet glided across the
beach and felt more at peace than I can explain. I dove into the ocean
and swam in the tranquil waters, my eyes closed and body floating as if
I were drifting upon the clouds above. I walked out of the ocean
feeling as if I had just been baptized and cleared of all my sins and
worries; then I saw my two local friends walking towards me. Though
enjoying being back on my own, I accepted their invitation to walk the
beach. Soon I found myself surrounded by cuddlng couples, children
playing in the sand, and grown men swimming in the ocean with youthful
excitement. It was Sunday on the beach and locals came from all around
to enjoy a day of rest and relaxation. I watched as children covered
their faces with melting ice cream and adult men teased the others who
couldn't swim, and I felt as free as the birds that circled overhead.A
hungry stomach beckoned me into a nearby restaurant, though I had
already made plans to eat in a hour. Only for a second did I wonder why
I had chosen this place and at this time. Then as a tuk-tuk pulled up
and dropped the next miracle at my doorstep, I nearly laughed at the
irony. Stephanie, from Switzerland, joined me at my table and immediately we fell into a wonderful conversation. After 6 weeks in Sri Lanka, she would be leaving for India the next day. I shared my experiences with her and then laughed about how little I knew about Sri Lanka. When I told her I didn't even have a guidebook, she passed hers along to me and then began to tell me about Sri Lanka.
I listened as she shared with me the wonderful experiences she had
enjoyed here, living in a remote village and working at an orphanage
there. Her love for the country and the people somehow made my
impressions of Sri Lanka
that much more valid, and helped me realize that this 'dream' is every
bit as real as the sand at our feet. She told me how the village had
organized a celebration to bid her farewell, and that 2000 people were
there to celebrate and watch a traditional dance organized just for
her. Again, my mind drifted to Fiji
and my own farewell celebration and for the first time in years, I
remembered the feeling that I carried away from Semo village that day.
I saw that my experience and hers shared something in common- it's not
that Fiji or Sri Lanka are the best countries in the world, but that in
every country there are people with a capacity for love and generosity
that we can only experience when we open ourselves up honestly and
share with them the beauty that exists in each of us.

Sometimes
the toughest thing about miracles is just how fleeting they can be.
They swoop in just when we need them and disappear just as quickly. I
bid Stephanie farewell and agreed to see her again in India,
though I wanted so badly to hold on to that moment. But as she walked
away and probably out of my life forever, I smiled knowing that person
had been brought to me for a very important reason. Because weeks from
now I might not even remember her face,
but I'll never forget the inspiration that she brought to this day. I
turned around and faced the western horizon where a blazing orange sun
was setting behind a dense bank of clouds. I smiled with satisfaction,
feeling as if my life were in the perfect place, and then watched as
the entire sky became a scene of fire and wondrous color. It was the
best sunset that I have seen in Asia thus far, and I knew that it was Mother Nature's way of keeping the fire lit that was burning inside me.

Yet,
for all the challenges and rewards that I experienced today, none would
be as great as the next. My two local friends appeared just as the
colors disappeared, and they asked me to join them for Sri Lankan tea.
I walked with them down narrow alleyways and into their home where I
was greeted by their mother. Immediately, I thought of Joana, my
'mother' in Fiji,
and wondered how it was that both women shared the same glowing and
welcoming smile. The whole family piled in to meet me and I found
myself surrounded by beautiful smiling children who looked at me with
big, eager eyes. I sipped her delicious tea and flipped through
pictures of the family, feeling like a distant relative who had just
arrived after so long gone. We all laughed as her 1-year old
granddaughter stared at me with big brown eyes, clutching her mother's
legs despite their urging her to walk to me. I looked around at the
concrete walls, the pictures of Jesus that graced the walls, and could
only think of Fiji,
and the many homes in which I had sat like this. I felt as humble as I
did then as the mother offered me food, more tea and then insisted I
return before leaving so she could fix me a proper dinner and throw a
farewell party for me. And as I attempted to relate the extreme
gratitude I felt inside, I found myself choking up and completely at a
loss for words, just as I had done when saying goodbye to my friends
and family in Fiji.

This
trip has felt so much like a dream, I hardly have any sense of time. I
feel as if I'm living in tune with the sun that rises and sets each day
and I hardly have time to question what is happening or what will
happen next. I'm simply sitting back and letting the miracles happen;
and one by one they're carrying me through one of my best journeys yet.