Through the years, I have always heard friends and people close to me discuss "exploration of interesting places." In our society, we have this mindset that in order to experience a different culture or a different place we must buy an expensive plane ticket, go on a mission, find an Island no one has ever heard of before and then take pictures (filtered and unfiltered) and discuss our experiences. However, many of these trips are not for anyone but ourselves. Going on a trip does not automatically make you a cultural expert. And ironically, the treasure we are seeking, the treasure of understanding and cultural empathy (in reality) lies at home, in our cities and communities. 

There is an old folktale I read in my class entitled The Treasure. And every time I hear people discussing trips to faraway places, I'm always reminded of this tale. You see, there is this man who has a dream that if he follows a particular path he will reach the treasure. He travels long and far and gets to the house of an old woman who explains to him that the treasure has been buried in his backyard this whole time. In other words, the treasure is where home lies. 

My brother, as I have mentioned in previous posts, is marrying one of my cherished friends from high school whose family comes from the Indian State of Kerala. Yesterday, we visited St. Simon and Jude Parish to celebrate a traditional Malayalam mass in honor of their engagement. Let me just say what a humbling experience it is to enter into a place of worship you are completely unfamiliar with. I found yet another quote of whimsy that I am going to share here in attempts to explain yesterday's encounter. 

“Whimsy...needs to be fully experienced to be fully known. Whimsy doesn't care if you are the driver or the passenger; all that matters is that you are on your way.”

I think when you are placed in a situation such as this one where you are experiencing the love of a community you may be unfamiliar with "you are on your way." Yesterday was probably the first time in a while where my breath was taken away. My family represented the passengers rather than the drivers. Every song that was song, every word that was spoken, every time I glanced at our new extended family, there was this feeling of traveling to a better place though not knowing exactly where that place would land me or us. We were following without a map. I think this feeling of "being lost" helped me become closer to the experience I was in. 

When you are "on your way" you're willing to let go of every thought surrounding your heart and simply follow the whimsy. In the presence of great food and beautiful music, my soon-to-be sister-in-law's brother (would have been much easier had I just said his name) spoke four phrases during his thank-you speech which I found put things into concrete perspective: It Takes a Village. One of my favorite children's books ironically has the same title and my favorite quote from within is at the beginning of the book when the author states, "Sometimes it takes a child to make a village." As I was gazing about in the basement of the church, I saw many smiles when this word was spoken and what a true representation of the word it was. There were tables and tables full of families and so many children. As new seeds are planted, the village begins to grow. How true this is. 

Even more, we were graciously accepted into this village of people whom we had never met, and welcomed with open arms. Any experienced whimsy can be felt when you look around and realize just how small you are when brought into the beautiful village of another. You realize how much you do not know about yourself and others, how much you have to learn, but you feel yourself "on your way" to experiencing something greater than yourself. 

Look around. You do not have to buy an expensive plane ticket to travel around the world to experience whimsy or a cultural village. It could be a 17-minute drive to experience the beauty of a different village. Passenger or driver-take the ride. Honestly, you may find it to be a pivotal moment in the chapter of your life. Honestly and truthfully, it will allow whimsy to shine from above. 

A huge thank you to my brother's soon to be wife and our new extended family. How lucky we are to have experienced the power of a village in every sense of the word. Thank you for being the drivers. We continue to cherish every moment of our ride together.