Saturday, July 2, 2011

Using versus feeling

Adjusting back to life in the states is never easy no matter where you come from.  Coming from Honduras I find many of the conveniences of home unnecessary and frivolous.  I am glad to be home though, because it gives me an opportunity to sit down and focus on my next moves.

The other day out at the barn I was out at the barn hanging out with Grayson and Christine and we were talking about addiction and empathy.  Since my heart is still in Honduras, I often relate things that I think and talk about back to Honduras and the boys.  Christine made a very interesting point about what distinguishes an addict from another person, and it was that an addict is constantly reading people and using that information to manipulate a situation. Rather than reading and using a person, most other people can be in a moment with another person and feel with them.  I found that to be a very interesting and simply way of looking at behaviors, and it makes a lot of sense as I think about the boys because that is how they live and survive on the street.  Its only when they are in a place where they don't need to fight for their survival that they can learn to love and be loved. Safety and security changes the game for them.

I have finished putting together a ten minute informational video about ProNiño for anyone who hasn't already heard from me what its all about, and I've started planning other fundraising things that I will hopefully be able to work more on in the coming months.