The other day I was reflecting on the strong
spirit of contentedness that has seemed to accompany my time in Romania. I was
really trying to get to the root of this peace, because surely it was
unnatural. Had I been living in the States with a half-suitcase full of
clothes, 2 pairs of slowly falling apart shoes, and a Nalgene instead of my
sophisticated Starbucks travel mug - I'm not so sure I'd be quite as happy. Ok,
I'd probably be fairly miserable. Yet, I hardly miss any of the material things
I left behind in the States. I'm very happy with my small wardrobe, and get
almost embarrassingly enthusiastic when I can dress it up with second-hand scarves
I find here for “un leu”.
I've been free of a media feed for over 6 weeks
now. That's not to say that I don't see Romanian commercials on occasion, or
that I don't pass by billboards when I walk to the store, but the language and
cultural barriers have made such things white noise. No brightly colored
leaflets are telling me what style of jeans I don’t have, and I'm not jealous
of my colleague’s latest fill in the blank, because they’re in the same boat.
It's extremely comforting to know that you have enough, and it has really
allowed me to rest in this belief that I am satisfied. On the other extreme, I
feel I have abundance in partaking in joy. While in the States there's
this constant feeling of guilt - I should be doing this, I shouldn't be eating
that - but the abundant life doesn't allow for such questions to be asked. If a
little old Romanian man is selling beautiful lollipops in the park, I’m going
to have one and turn my teeth different colors, all the while having no
regrets. It's a fascinating balance I'm starting to learn comes with habit,
and one I needed to travel many miles to find.
-Jenny Hyde
Gordon College
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