Fiji Time

This is not a vacation, this is real life.  Sometimes that sneaks up on me, its hard to get my mind to wrap around the fact that home is not the US anymore, home is Fiji.  Just like all people who live in places such as this, my day to day is not spent lounging on a white sand beach (I wish).  We try to go to the beach at least once a month to be reminded how breathtaking this place is.

Grocery shopping has its challenges and there are simply things that I can't get here no matter how bad I want them.  Yesterday while in the store I overheard an Australian couple discussing laundry detergent, she was trying to remember what brand a friend had told her was "life changing."  There you have it folks, that is it in a nutshell!  Fiji is awesome and I'm happy for the chance to call this home.  It is a far cry from being the first world country that I was born and raised in, and that is why we may never leave!  If laundry detergent can be life changing that paints a really clear picture of how simple life is here.

We don't have cable, netflix, or hulu.  We really only turn the TV on for very short periods of time.  In the US, honestly, EM spent a good part of her day camped in front of the TV.  Here she runs outside and plays, and plays, and plays.  At school they pray together, sing bible songs, and her teacher sends me a notebook home every day telling me about things that are going on with EM, good and bad. Being able to send her to such a small private school with so much personal attention is such a blessing. Many businesses are closed on Sundays so that people can go to church and spend time with their families.  Nothing happens fast here, this place works on Fiji time, which can be very frustrating and totally relaxing at the same time.  I've noticed that beauty here fits all molds.  Big or small, women are beautiful.  Its hard to put aside 35 years of being told by society what is beautiful, but here I can put on a bathing suit and not feel at all uncomfortable because no one cares about my thick thighs, my average weight, none of it matters.  In Fiji I've noticed that a smile goes a long way, and if you are friendly you will be treated right.  The Fijian people are some of the friendliest and most helpful people I have ever met!

There is one fast food restaurant within driving distance, a McDonalds, that is it.  There are amazing sit down restaurants but fast food of just isn't happening here.  At first I was bothered by that and now I am thankful for it.  Everything here takes time and it is nice to spend time sitting and eating with friends and family.  Its funny, it really makes sense why there are not fast food restaurants, people just aren't in a hurry here.  Our lives are lived on one main road that covers maybe 15 miles between Nadi Town and the village we live in.  There is nothing pressing to do and no reason to hurry to do it.  So life goes by and you get a chance to just enjoy it.  The sunsets are
spectacular, and if I could I would drive the 5 minutes to the beach to watch every last one of them!

I am thankful for the chance to be here to learn this valuable lesson, slow down, and live life.  Don't be in such a hurry to get to where you are going that you miss the journey along the way.  I know that God has big plans for my family, and why I am waiting for His direction I'm going to sit back and enjoy the splendor that is before me!  Thank you God for blessing us so richly!