All is well that ends well...

I didn’t get arrested…
Starting again at some level is not a new experience for me. The past few years in my life I recognize my desire to start again, to begin again to undergo metanoia. Change in life scares some people. Heights scare me. I like to think that I am open to more change today than I have been in the past- though I don’t think I have ever shied away from change. I am beginning to transition back into life away from Phoenix. I am back in Chicago for debriefing until Friday.
My last weekend was great—but also brought up new understandings once again. I went with J and his partner M to Tucson for the night on Saturday. We viewed Karchner Caverns. The Caves are a relatively new discovery. They have been opened to public viewing since 1999. It was an intense viewing-magnificent. I have never been inside a cave like that before and was stunned by the depth of the cave, the colors, and the beauty. Why is it that as humans we tend to just look at the surface and see beauty there and hesitate to examine below surfaces? Is there an ingrained need to just understand at face value? How can we continue to challenge ourselves to look below- or even beyond?
We woke up on Sunday and decided to go to Mexico- Rocky Point on the Gulf of California. It was the first time I have ever swam in an ocean. It was absolutely gorgeous and awe inspiring. J and M were so much fun! It was a great time, and we all had great food. They treated me to a real Mexican Raspado (it is like a snow cone on steroids). The drive back to the states was also incredible because the beauty of the mountains which was fantastic- and the fact that they were surrounded by cactus is still phenomenal to me.
We pulled up to the border and began our wait to cross back into the United States. When we finally got to the person who was checking ID’s she asked for ours, we handed ours to her. All three of us had our Driver’s Licenses. Our conversation with her was strained as she immediately became defensive. “Where are you passports?” “Oh” I said, “I don’t have mine.” “Well, how do I know that you are a citizen?” was her response. “You realize that you are now a registered non-compliant citizen now!” All I could think was, “Well, that will suffice for now.”
So, jokingly my goal has been to get arrested. I tease about this desire-I think mostly because of the notion of civil disobedience. What a message about what I believe that I would feel so strongly on an issue, that I would be willing to spend time in jail. Well, it seems that me being a non-compliant citizen is as good as it is going to get for me right now. What I did walk away from this experience with was more questions about immigration issues in the United States. People want to come to the United States? Great- let them come in! There is plenty of room for everyone. These are the principles this country was founded upon. One of the biggest arguments I have heard was about the number of criminals that came into the United States. We have always had criminals, crime was not a disease that was brought here by others- we are humans with the ability to make choices, and people have always made different choices- it has nothing to do with who is allowed to be a member of a specific society.
I am now in Chicago for the de-briefing segment of the summer. Interestingly enough, while I appreciate this opportunity to debrief, I feel that I will be debriefing for the next year. We talked today about what we can do for ourselves, what will be important to maintain the ferocity of the experiences of the summer. While this summer shared moments of fun and frustration, the internal transformation that I underwent was the most significant outcome.
I had my laughs, tears, shared frustrations. All in all it was just another summer- THAT ROCKED!