so,happy new year. welcome to another millennium (what's so new about a millennium?) and be sure to graciously step aside as the 21st century saunters right on by and then sits itself down in our presence for the next 99 1/2 years. hope you had a good 00, and i hope your 01 will taste even sweeter.

well, i figure i wouldn't waste any time this year. i'm managing to get out the country within the first half of the first month of 2001.... heading out to mexico this weekend with the youth group for a longer-than weekend to build some stuff and play with the kids. i think i'm ready this time. ready to be shown, yet again, just how good i really have it, and just how completely ridiculous it is for me ever to complain about anything. it's life we're talking about here. it's human beings, relationships, experiences, and memories. none of those are bought or sold, or come standard with a 'gold kit.'

ready to be reminded just how trite, shallow and selfish i've been molded to become. and ready to find out how to peel off a few more layers of all that garbage i've worked to hard to put on, or attempt to just squint through.
somehow, clarity is dished out in monumental doses in 3rd world countries, whether you are hungry or not. oh, and just from experience, and so you're not taken by surprise, the reverse-cultureshock (ie. coming back home to america) always has a greater psychological/philosophical impact than arriving at your destination and dealing with the regular, run-of-the-mill i-can't-believe-people-really-live-this-way culture shock.


reality. seen it?