We talk too much.

Somebody help me out here... but I think part of our problem in the US is that we talk too much and work too little.  We take great joy in putting together websites, talking about our dreams, affirming ourselves, and talking about what's wrong with this world (this is where the finger gets pointed right back at me... oh dear).

Before I left for Tanzania (in fact, for the last 6 months or more) I've had serious trouble sleeping.  My regular schedule for sleep seems to start at 2 or 3am and go until 11am the next day.  I've never been a morning person, but it was just ridiculous.  I'd pay money to get exercise at the gym, and would get on my bike to ride a few miles "just for fun."

In contrast, I have not yet had any trouble sleeping since I arrived in Tanzania 2 weeks ago.  Until this morning, I would wake up at 6am naturally (we'll attribute that to the roosters/dogs/cats/small children/cars/general brouhaha) and sleep again until the alarm went off.  Walking 20 minutes or more is a given every day, passing people carrying large loads, cutting grass by hand with a machete, and lots and lots of mamas with their little mototo (baby) bundles on their backs.  The biggest difference?  People here don't complain.  

There's a great term in Kiswahili: pole.  It means sorry... but more in the 'sorry for you' meaning.  So when someone comes home from work, you say the regular greetings but also, "pole," I'm sorry for all your hard work. Or you see someone struggling along the street, working hard... and a general greeting plus "pole" is perfectly acceptable.  And the response?  Thanks. That's all.  We acknowledge others' hard work but after that it's just a fact of life. 

For those of you who know me or see me on a regular basis, this is my goal: to accept the pain, the struggle, and the hard work without whining.  Because in reality, it's a fact of life and we are often missing out on life if we miss out on the pain and hard work.

(Additional insight into this is the book I've been reading titled "The Gift of Pain" by Paul Brand, an MD who worked in India and primarily with leprosy patients, who have no pain and that is their problem.  A fascinating and thought provoking reading for those interested in the science and those interested in life and people in general. I'll try to bring my copy back to the US to lend.)