in the summer of 2002 i spent two months teaching conversational english in kazakhstan. if you have ever lived in another country for any length of time, then you know that it is not easy. things that you take for granted here in the states become difficult, sometimes impossible. you have to learn to manage your expectations, prepare for the unexpected and be flexible.
a couple of years before that trip, the movie "the emperor's new groove" came out and quickly became one of my favorites. there is a scene in the movie where pacha and kuzco end up tied to a tree branch, careening down a river toward a waterfall. they have this conversation...
pacha: uh-oh
kuzco: don't tell me. we're about to go over a huge waterfall
pacha: yep
kuzco: sharp rocks at the bottom?
pacha: most likely
kuzco: bring it on
during our time in Kazakhstan we would face some new unknown every day. we wouldn't know what to expect, how the day would go, if the bus we needed would show up on time, if at all. this conversation between pacha and kuzco became a conversation our team would have on a daily basis. once we knew where we were going or what we were supposed to be doing, someone would ask the question..."sharp rocks at the bottom?" (meaning, is it going to be difficult, challenging and frustrating). then, someone else would answer with, "most likely." and, we would respond like kuzco..."bring it on."
i think we all like to think of ourselves as flexible, able to roll with the punches. i know that i do. but, if i'm really honest with myself...i hate change. and, i hate the unknown. i'm a planner by nature. i think about things and through things for a long time before taking action. flexibility is difficult for a planner. but, what i've learned over the years is that you can plan to be flexible. pacha and kuzco did it. my team in kazakhstan did it. it is possible to head towards a situation knowing that it's most likely not going to turn out anything like you would expect. knowing that you're going to have to adjust.
it's not easy, and i definitely don't have it mastered, but i'm working on it. because, i don't want to live life in such a comfortable place that my response to the sharp rocks is...well, then i'm gonna do my best to paddle upstream because that doesn't sound at all like something i want to be a part of. i want to look at the sharp rocks ahead and say...BRING. IT. ON.
