Nancy Kuhuski

I was a sophomore in High School when I got on an airplane for the very first time ever, along with two friends. Off to Mexico we flew. We had been invited to go beyond the trappings of tourism and immerse ourselves in the culture of a small village about an hour north of Puerto Vallarta. I was completely unprepared for what I would encounter and the depth at which I would be impacted. We explored food different than our own. We spoke a language different than our own. We walked EVERYWHERE… often with random animals joining us on our journeys, and made our way through small rivers of raw sewage that flowed through town. We met people… individuals and families living in a kind of poverty that I had never seen before at 16 years of age. But the people… the joy, the warmth, their generosity, the vibrant way they engaged in life… My heart woke up…

I came back changed. You see, you can’t unknow what you know. My heart now knew what deep poverty and some of the injustice that comes with it looks like. Yet I also now knew a little bit about what really living looked like… and it had nothing to do with how much someone has. My 16 yr old heart ached to make things different for these people who were living wholehearted, despite their circumstances. When my heart woke up, a passion for people was ignited within me, and the trajectory of my life was changed.

For years now I have subscribed to the philosophy of do for one, that which you wish you could do for all. I can’t possibly meet every need I encounter, but the adventure that comes with living a life focused on other people, meeting obvious and felt needs, is unlike any other! The adventure that comes with living a life focused on other people is unlike any other! Share on X It’s not a single action, nor is it an agenda or platform. It’s an intentional way of living, understanding that you make a difference in this world, and your actions, or inactions, have an impact.

You can’t unknow what you know, so what do you do with that knowledge once you have acquired it? Some try to put it in a tidy little box they can put up on a shelf, to pull out when it’s convenient. Some shrink from it and try to deny the knowledge. Some minimize the impact and attempt to contain it in a way that feels safe. Some press into the discomfort, allowing it to shape and change them, propelling them toward the adventure of living wholeheartedly, focused on their fellow inhabitants of this world. These are the people that invite you to be at rest in their presence, and you know you have been seen and are valued when you leave them. That is the adventure I aim to live!

What about you? Has your heart woken up? What are you doing with that knowledge? Are you living the adventure in front of you?