yes, please.

I remember when my parent's dropped me off at the airport before my semester abroad in India. My dad said, "Just remember, wherever you are, that's where you're at." And I thought it was such an odd thing to say. He went on to explain that no amount of homesickness or wishing to be somewhere else would do any good. It's okay to feel those things, but don't miss what you're experiencing because you're wishing to be somewhere else.

I can't tell you how many times I repeated these words of wisdom while I was there. There were horrifying things we were confronted with: slums and sickening poverty, child labor, bride burnings, a caste system that convinced human souls they were lower than feces. But I never wished to be out of that country. I loved India. I loved the people we met, and the brand new experiences we lived fully every day. I never wished my experiences away and now I look back at those extreme highs and lows in India as some of my most formative experiences that shaped who I am today.

The words above are available for print on wrapped canvas and I love everything about it. It's sort of a different spin on Dad's words of wisdom, but holds the same security of being right where you're supposed to be.