Freeze Frame

Due to my late afternoon Venti Nonfat Chai Latte I was up late last night trying to play catch up yet again. During one of my self imposed "time outs" I stumbled through various friends Facebook photos.

I came accross this photo in my friend Alicia's profile that made me stop. I froze. I mean it tuuuugggggged at my heart.

In all honesty, she and I are really aquaintances via a mutual friend. We are both mothers of young toddlers, both following our career paths and both about the same age. Alicia is a labor and delivery nurse. When I met her she was living in Flagstaff and making weekly commutes to a distant Indian Reservation in Tuba City to work on the reservation. I never told her - but I was facinated. I never thought to do such work in such a grand capacity. I thought about all the mothers, fathers and children she has helped and how many special ties she must have with the community and staff on the reservation. She told me that she would often take her son with her and they would stay for a week at a time and then drive back home (one week on, one week off sort of thing). I thought 'we are so different. Her life is so completely different from mine.'

The photo that stopped me in my tracks was taken while she was working in Haati during 2008.

I locked up.

She looked so content.

She looked like she was doing exactly what she was supposed to be doing and where she was supposed to be. I've never done anything like that - in that I just decided to take a trip to a place of extreme hardship and offer my helping hand for an extended period of time. I would imagine it would be a very emotional experience. I am guessing it would be a very sad, happy, rewarding, challenging, frustrating, confusing - but really so glad you did and you would definitely do it again kind of experience.

Her selflessness, her charity, her character, her sense of purpose is to be greatly commended. I suppose I am writing this blog because I know there are thousands of women in the world that are just like Alicia. I just want to tell you all that I think you are amazing. I want to tell you thank you. I want to tell you that I'd like to be a little more like you.