I think we all had a favorite thing to do when we were kids. Heck, if we were honest, we’re all still just a bunch of grownup kids who have a favorite thing. When I was little, I couldn’t wait to curl up with a good book and dream about faraway places … I wondered what cultures and climates were like in distant, far-off countries such as Russia, New York, China, California, and Africa, and any other place I could travel on the 12th of every month when my Daddy’s National Geographic came in the mail. I even did a little stint with a pen pal from South Carolina one summer.
Upon graduation from high school I imagined all the wonderful people I would meet and all the places I would go when I joined the Peace Corps. But, as John Lennon stated, “Life is what happens when you’re busy making plans,” and college and marriage and children and years passed, and dreams never became a reality.
But hold the phone. Stop right there. Let’s not get too sappy. At this very moment, as I sit in my office eavesdropping on one of my pre-license real estate classes, the clatter of little voices sounds like a blend of lively spices in a fresh batch of southern summer sausage. From various classes, I have heard the voices of Africa, Asia, the UK, Mexico, Russia, and upon occasion, a distinctively nasal New York twang. And I have witnessed my own version of global warming, as the smiles of students from all over the world light the fires of friendship in my classroom. If that’s global warming, then bring it on.
Sooooo, did I get to live out my dreams to travel the world? Nah. Even better….The world came to me.