still riding the high…

i don’t even know where to begin this post with everything that happened this past weekend.  i guess like all good stories, i’ll start from the beginning.

a few weeks back, my brother let me know he and his wife were hosting a garage sale and that i was welcome to bring any items i’d like to part with. the following day, my sister-in-law informed me my seven year-old niece and four year old nephew asked if they could have a lemonade stand / bake sale during the sale. the kicker? they wanted to donate all the money raised from it to the kids in nepal. yeah, seven and four.

fast forward to this past THU night, i swung by their place to drop off some sweets for the sale only to find a table full of baked goods. and thus started the high. by noon the following day, i was getting updates via text that the sale was hoppin’ and people were buying baked goods like crazy. day two? same. watching those kids sitting at their little table (with my other niece also helping out), telling my story to total strangers in hopes to get a dollar in the donation jar, was nothing short of amazing. for a brief minute, i think i almost understood how a parent feels when their child does something wonderful. i was so proud of them. total loot at the end of the sale? $125.87. like i shared with friends earlier – three kids, all under the age of 8, raised enough money in two days to feed an orphanage full of kids for nearly four months. i was lost for words then, and i still am now.

my niece getting ready for the sale:

my ride SAT evening went buy in a flash, and even though i had to run long SUN morning, that too went by in what seemed like a minute. after a quick lunch, it was off to community soul yoga for the yogathon my wonderful instructor was hosting for my trip. mind you it was a bit warm that morning and i did run upwards of 14 miles, so i wasn’t sure how well my body would hold up. still, i had made up my mind that if even one person showed up for each class, i’d be there, on my mat, giving it all i had. and that’s exactly what i did for the next six hours. four classes later, i was completely annihilated. and to give credit where credit is due, hailey and my sister-in-law angie stuck it out for all four classes as well. well done you two! thinking back on it, i’m certain the only thing that got me through was the absolute high i was riding from all the kind words, generosity, and support flowing my way from my yoga community members. and despite how unbelievably hard it was, it was without a doubt the best yoga session i’ve ever done. by far.

that night, my instructor messaged me the total amount raised for the day: $1150, which included her match of the total donated. i just….i don’t know. i’ve sat here for the past ten minutes trying to find the words to express how it feels to be part of something so wonderful, yet i just can’t find them. and while me expressing a simple thank you seems so meaningless, i find comfort knowing that it’s all the people who attended and donated need to hear. they’re that selfless – every single one of them.

i stayed up for a bit longer than usual SUN night, thoughts racing through my head. how am i going to deal with leaving such a wonderful group of friends, some who have become so close? what can i possibly find to do with the donated funds to make them as meaningful as possible? what if my travels don’t meet the expectations of those who gave? but as i dozed off to sleep, i found a calm in my mind, knowing it didn’t matter right now. the answers to those questions will come soon enough. plus, i have a secret weapon. the have the power to make those answers whatever i want them to be.