Being Present in Lebanon

“I seldom end up where I wanted to go, but I 
almost always end up where I need to be.”

                                                                                                  ~Douglas Adams

The quote above reminds that, even though we make conscious decisions about our life, we are not always in control of our lives.   A year ago, I never would I have dreamed that I would be looking over this beautiful area called the Qadisha Valley in Lebanon, and realizing that this is exactly where I need to be right now-living and working in Lebanon.  This may change tomorrow, or in another year when I will have to decide to continue living here or leave.  But, right now, it is exactly where I need to be.

When we are aware and conscious it seems that the Universe conspires to get us what we need.  I need to be here because I’m being challenged in so many different ways that I never predicted, or would not have been able to experience in many other parts of the world.  Being challenged is not always about things being easy or comfortable, but more about growth and development. 

I need to be in Lebanon because I’m learning about a historically war torn area and how war has affected the people that live there.  I need to be here because for the first time in my life I experiencing what it is like to be a minority-something I would never experience in the U.S.  I need to be here because living here is helping me sort out what, of my interests, I really want to pursue.  I need to be here because it is forcing me to show more initiative and be more assertive in so many different ways.  I need to be here because it is nudging me to examine my attitude towards another culture that is so different than my own, along with this comes an investigation into my own biases and prejudices-not something that would happen organically.

I’m not sure where this journey will end; however, what I do know is that the journey I am on right now is exactly where I need to be.