Change

Now that the warmer months are upon us, my sister and I have taken to keeping the boys out of doors as often as is possible. Both of the boys have discovered, as most children do, a passion for being out of doors this year.

Recently my family moved from one of the safest cities in our our area. It was a small town mostly white town; people were friendly and everyone knew each other. Then we moved away into a small, not-so-nice town. There are parts of it that seem a little sketchy and I wouldn't dare to walk through it by myself. With the exception of that part of the neighborhood, the town itself is pretty.

I make no bones about how I hate having to catch and use taxis in China. My not so fond memories usually involve a taxi or taxi driver rather. It's easy to become bitter in China and look at this place through pessimistic eyes. It's exceedingly easy when you look from the outside in, but even foreigners who get a good look at the inside develop negatives attitudes.

You know that point in the interview where the person asks you about your one greatest strength and your one greatest weakness?

When most people think of the term "HEALTH," the presence or absence of disease is usually the first thing that comes to mind.

As if health is somehow either black or white, no room for gray.

For example, some common thoughts are: I am in good health if I do not have a cold, if I am not obese or if I do not have any type of cancer (just to name a few).

A young woman dying of AIDS lay in the bed before me. Staring at her frail, disease-stricken body, the words of a family friend echoed in my head, "Why is Kellie going to Africa? Does she really think that one person can make a difference?"

Quite an intriguing question to be asked; what is “progress?” Before I ramble on about what progress means to me, I feel that defining the term itself may help in understanding its importance. Progress is any positive movement. Moving beyond the limits of whatever is considered to be status-quo. Growth where growth is needed is what defines progress.