This week, I was feeling a little bit down. Seeing everybody going back to Rice on Facebook (and snapchat), made me miss it quite a lot (especially Coffeehouse!!!! I can't wait till I get to work again). I was also feeling the lack of my good friends at Rice. Though I wish they didn't, relationships here have a sense of fleetingness, and though I have managed to establish a deeper connection with a few people here (in my flat and in my Geology classes, thank you PROXIMITY!), I was still feeling generally empty and a bit disillusioned with the human race.
It seems like God has other plans (as usual) to show me that people are actually pretty great...and even though my expectations are always pretty hard to meet, sometimes people go way above and beyond.
My friends (Geologists, WOOHOO), Natalie and Olivia and I hiked Silver Peaks this weekend, which is just about 30 minutes outside of Dunedin. The trip started by us getting a ride from a girl I just met this week, who was doing some outreach with a church...giving out free chocolate bars and offering rides to the church service. We talked for a while, and after about thirty minutes of getting to know her, I eventually I started talking to her about my desire to hike the trail but lack of a car. She immediately offered to take us Saturday morning. And, at 10am, this stranger who had no obligation at all to help us dropped us off right at the start of the trail.
The hike was great, and strenous. Five hours of up and down hills. The weather was perfect, though, and the conversation with my friends was also cool (we geeked about rocks whenever an extra cool one showed up).
Eventually we reached our destination: ABC Cave, which is essentially a little hole in some rocks with a plank you can sleep on. Freaking awesome in other words.
It seems like God has other plans (as usual) to show me that people are actually pretty great...and even though my expectations are always pretty hard to meet, sometimes people go way above and beyond.
My friends (Geologists, WOOHOO), Natalie and Olivia and I hiked Silver Peaks this weekend, which is just about 30 minutes outside of Dunedin. The trip started by us getting a ride from a girl I just met this week, who was doing some outreach with a church...giving out free chocolate bars and offering rides to the church service. We talked for a while, and after about thirty minutes of getting to know her, I eventually I started talking to her about my desire to hike the trail but lack of a car. She immediately offered to take us Saturday morning. And, at 10am, this stranger who had no obligation at all to help us dropped us off right at the start of the trail.
The hike was great, and strenous. Five hours of up and down hills. The weather was perfect, though, and the conversation with my friends was also cool (we geeked about rocks whenever an extra cool one showed up).
Eventually we reached our destination: ABC Cave, which is essentially a little hole in some rocks with a plank you can sleep on. Freaking awesome in other words.
There, we met three boys, all also studying at Dunedin, who were, like us, taking advantage of the sunny weekend to have an adventure.
When I first came up to them, I was a bit worried. The cave is only supposed to sleep four people on the platform, according to my research. I am a light sleeper, and I frowned at the thought of the cramped, possibly sleepless night ahead, and being in such close proximity to these randos.
The night, and the boys, turned out to be absolutely wonderful. We started a fire, ate our dinners around it together, and then the boys offered us drinks and chocolate and some extra fancy nuts they had brought along. They asked us a ton of questions, about our hobbies, our favorite movies. They also poked a lot of fun at the fact that we were American (which happens here really often), but it was overall a great night.
The night was pretty crammed, but after getting to know the guys, it was actually a lot of fun to be squished (the adventure!), rather than a hassle.
We hiked out of the trail (another 5 hour walk up and down hills) the next day, and then the boys squished us in the tiny car they had and gave us a ride back to Dunedin (we had planned to walk an extra 4 hours back to town...thank God that didn't happen! My legs are SO SORE).
When I first came up to them, I was a bit worried. The cave is only supposed to sleep four people on the platform, according to my research. I am a light sleeper, and I frowned at the thought of the cramped, possibly sleepless night ahead, and being in such close proximity to these randos.
The night, and the boys, turned out to be absolutely wonderful. We started a fire, ate our dinners around it together, and then the boys offered us drinks and chocolate and some extra fancy nuts they had brought along. They asked us a ton of questions, about our hobbies, our favorite movies. They also poked a lot of fun at the fact that we were American (which happens here really often), but it was overall a great night.
The night was pretty crammed, but after getting to know the guys, it was actually a lot of fun to be squished (the adventure!), rather than a hassle.
We hiked out of the trail (another 5 hour walk up and down hills) the next day, and then the boys squished us in the tiny car they had and gave us a ride back to Dunedin (we had planned to walk an extra 4 hours back to town...thank God that didn't happen! My legs are SO SORE).
Sometimes I get in really bad moods about humanity, and I spiral in on myself, convinced I have no friends or I am not likeable or I am not doing enough or I am an uncool person or some form of self-pity along those lines. These moods tend to happen when I focus on myself too much.
This weekend was such a good slap in the face. This weekend I was on the receiving end of other people's good deeds. Deeds that were completely above and beyond the normal social politeness standards (these guys not only gave us snacks but invited us to stuff our sweaty bodies in their cramped car).
Giving feels really really good. And doing things for other people never fails to get me out of my downwards spiral. I really think it is one of the most important things in life. I am not good at it, and I rarely spend much time thinking about others. But I want my life to involve little acts of service, like the ones that were done for me this weekend, every day. Putting good into the world and thinking positively are really really important, and take a ton of work, and conscious mental effort.
I have so much to learn and definitely owe the world quite a debt for how lucky I've been. I hope I keep learning to get over myself enough to put some of the good I've received back out into the Universe.
This weekend was such a good slap in the face. This weekend I was on the receiving end of other people's good deeds. Deeds that were completely above and beyond the normal social politeness standards (these guys not only gave us snacks but invited us to stuff our sweaty bodies in their cramped car).
Giving feels really really good. And doing things for other people never fails to get me out of my downwards spiral. I really think it is one of the most important things in life. I am not good at it, and I rarely spend much time thinking about others. But I want my life to involve little acts of service, like the ones that were done for me this weekend, every day. Putting good into the world and thinking positively are really really important, and take a ton of work, and conscious mental effort.
I have so much to learn and definitely owe the world quite a debt for how lucky I've been. I hope I keep learning to get over myself enough to put some of the good I've received back out into the Universe.