Larry Jordan

Jul 21, 2022 by Larry Jordan, in Travel

If I learned anything in my life, it's that everyone is related and everything is connected. If I know that and live it, then I don't really need to know anything else.

In the West, we talk a lot about individuality, selves, souls, free will. Anymore, I'm convinced that we live one, connected life, as much as (or instead of) many separate lives.

Do you feel like you were in Ecuador with us? I do. Really, I do, and it helped us to know that family and friends were checking in, keeping up, praying for us, the entire time.

We heard from folks on four continents. I'm embarrassed at the number of times that I had to hang up, saying, "Sorry, someone's at the door" or "Sorry, someone's on the other line."

We were quarantined for a long time, but we were never isolated. We were never alone.

It's more than that. Did I feel the concern of the cooks and desk clerks and maids who cared for us? Yes, of course, despite the cultural differences and the language barriers.

In my MacGyver moments, when I was hoarding plastic bags and string, did I feel some fraternity with the scavenger on the street, who was pulling a shirt from the trash can? Yes, of course, despite our differences.

Technology gets a bad rap for separating people, but it brings people together, too. Email, Facebook, FaceTime, Google Translate, texting, What'sApp, wifi calling, zoom.

I mostly post babies and bobcats, but, every once in a while, I narrate a foreign medical emergency or I post essays on poverty and taxes, or I write a eulogy for a dear friend, and I see the great potential of these platforms.

Thanks for traveling to Ecuador with us. We appreciate it, and we'll never forget it.

Much love.

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