Countdown To Freedom

Since applying for the Peace Corps a mere 16 days ago, my life has taken a radical change in direction and I feel like I have no time left!  As anyone that knows me will attest, I truly believe that things happen for a reason and when it is the right time. When something is meant to be, it will flow, and when it isn’t, there will be one delay after another. I have been wrestling with my next steps for over a year now. 

It has been a flurry of preparation activity since I accepted my position with the Peace Corps. First, I had to send out my Passport for my Peace Corps Passport and apply for my Visa to Mozambique. When I went for my Passport photo, the first one was terrible. The lady taking it was very short, and I swear she stood under me and shot the picture up my nostrils! When organizing the paperwork, later though, I realized I actually needed two sets of two pictures, so I went and had a much less offensive picture taken. All forms were promptly sent off to their respective destinations. Next, I had to find my vaccination records – no small feat for a woman in her 40s who hasn’t had a shot in years! After multiple calls all over Charleston (thank God I am in my hometown at least) I was able to find my childhood records. I needed to get a tetanus shot and I have scheduled my Yellow Fever vaccination for next week.

Last night, as I was dining with friends, I received an email that will change the course of my entire future. This subject line was sitting in my inbox:
Peace Corps Invitation to Serve Dear Kandace,
Congratulations! You have been selected to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer. This letter is your formal invitation to serve as a Community Health Services Promoter in Mozambique departing April 2019.  Now, the crazy begins! I have a ridiculous amount of steps to take from getting medical clearance, undergoing a background check, getting my Peace Corps passport, to things like eliminating everything in my life.

I am exhilarated. This is the culmination of a life-long dream, and it is finally within my grasp. I can almost see the day (only a mere 6 months away) when I will be boarding a plane to Africa to serve in the Peace Corps for over 2 years.

I have no doubt that I will have moments when I wonder what I just accepted. I am sure that there may be moments of fear or anxiety, but in trut…

I interviewed for the Peace Corps today. The assignment for which I am being considered is in community health in South Africa.

I have been thinking about my reasons for wanting this. The Peace Corps is over a two-year commitment. I will be in a country where I am away from anything I have ever known. My family and friends will be literally a world away from me. Electricity will be spotty, and I may not even have running water. Yet, I am undeterred.

It occurred to me that I want this because I want to make a difference. I could have a comfortable life here in SC. FL is always waiting for me. For that matter, I could choose anywhere in America, and live a nice, peaceful life. I could make a decent living. I would meet someone. Hell, I might even marry again. I want none of it, though.

To me, accepting that life is like choosing my prison cell. It may be comfy. It may have amazing amenities. I may get to go on a trip once or twice a year, but my life would just be a countdown to death.…

I applied for the Peace Corps last night.

I have always had a desire to travel the world. I am restless and open for challenge and adventure. When I was a teenager, I had tried to join, only to discover I did not have the tools and training.

When I was in college, I would see recruiters for the State Dept, and my mind would immediately entertain dreams of exotic locales and life abroad. By then, though, I was already a mother of two.

I find myself now at a point where my desires, skills, and life circumstances have finally coalesced. Since this reentered my consciousness about a month ago, I have been pondering it and weighing the options. I have actually had the application tab for the Peace Corps open on my computer since I first pulled it up in St Thomas. Last night, it was finally the time.

This morning, my mind is swimming with the possibilities. I am open to going wherever my talents will be most useful, so I truly am letting the Universe guide me where I am meant to be. There …

If I have discovered one thing over the past couple of years, it is that battling lethargy is a constant challenge.

It is so hard to conquer bad habits. The reason for this is that you have your routine, and in order to change this, you must engage your mind and make strategic decisions. That is not to say it is impossible – it isn’t – but it does take effort.

Seeds offer a potential life. For me, it is personal growth and travel.

I woke this morning and realized that one of my avocados was getting dangerously ripe. I just cut off a small portion of the top and ate straight from the rind. When I got to the pit, I pulled it out, washed it off, then placed it with the others I have sitting next to my sink. I already have planted one, and there are only so many that you can realistically grow at any given point, so I just collect them. It suddenly struck me – I can’t throw them away!

I find it so hard to throw away the seeds or pits from any fruit. I do the same thing with Medjool dates (my personal weakness). The seeds just represent life, and it seems so utterly wasteful to toss them out.

The problem, though, is unless you live in an area where the plant will thrive, it sits as a simple lump, unused and discarded. It is seething with the potential to blossom into an amazing tree that could feed thousands, yet they sit on my sink glistening …