Counting down the days

Well, things are really heating up, and the days are counting down all too quickly. No, I'm not talking about Christmas or New years - but leaving on the BIG trip. I am gearing up to take our first trip to collect video for The Global Kitchen, and I'm really feeling the stress! My 'to do' list is at 2 pages now, (with three pages crossed off!), but some things just aren't falling into place the way I had hoped. We haven't heard from even one NGO that I've written in the hopes of partnering with them. This will make the trip even more difficult than it already was. If I have to try and locate NGOs on the ground, my already tight schedule will be impossible to keep.

I still have some pretty big things on my list as well. Our website isn’t live yet, our papers to the IRS are almost complete, (but still hinge on having a board meeting to approve our bylaws), I’m frantically doing another round of research on NGOs that work with women in the areas I’m going, trying to figure out all the new electronic technology I’m taking and how/if they work together, and on and on. That of course is on top of all the regular logistics around leaving the country for 2 months – shots and prescriptions, research, setting up bills to be paid, putting things on hold, shopping for items I need to take (just how many memory cards do I need anyway?) arranging flights, and oh yes, then there’s Christmas and my son’s 16th birthday. . . whew. Do you feel my exhaustion and anxiety?

Okay, I’ll take a deep breath. . . I’m trying to stay optimistic and believe the universe will provide, if I let it. (Which I know is true, but to be honest, I’m struggling with this at the moment.) I am actually looking forward to getting on the plane (which is crazy since it’s the start of a 20 hour trip) because it will mean that whatever got done, got done, and the rest - well, let’s hope it wasn’t critical. From that point on I can focus on the moment and try to find the inner balance I need for this adventure. Stay tuned.