Random Reflections

While I was in the village, I heard on the radio about a study they were doing about the progress of women in some country, that they started a number of years ago. They played snippets of interviews with one woman at the age of 17, 22, and 27. It got me thinking of what I might have sounded like if someone had interviewed me at these ages to hear my philosophies, life plans, ambitions, goals,etc. At 17, I was at the peak of high school, near the top of my class, and gearing up for a degree in accounting so I could go for my CA. At 22, I had finished 3rd year university, and had switched from accounting to finance, dreaming of big bonuses and early retirement. At 27, I am practically volunteering my time doing accounting of all things in the middle of Africa. At this rate, I can’t even begin to guess where I’ll be at in another 5 years. But for the first time in a long time, I feel like I’m back on the right path, and heading in the right direction. It’s certainly a different path from before, but my goals have changed. I am influenced by principles of loving my neighbour, helping the poor, and realizing that I can gain more by looking not only to my own interests, but to the interests of others. There is a sign on an office wall in the movie “It’s a wonderful life” which reads “The only thing you can take with you is that which you give away” I have discovered through India and now Africa that I gain so much by being willing to give of myself. Not the goals I had at 17 or 22, but I believe these principles will make me richer than money ever could.