Courage See Me Through

18 July 2013

Sitting in the upstairs classroom of the Cambridge Union Society listening to the lecture in my European History Class on Marxism and Lenin, I realize that there are certain aspects of life that remind me deeply of home, nothing that has to do with Lenin of course… Due to the extreme heat spell sweeping the entire landmass of England from coast to coast, the windows were peaked open in the classroom allowing for the gentle breeze surfacing outside to enter. The breeze carried with it the sweet smell of good beef and BBQ sauce… The smell of the perfect outdoor get together, and the memory of hot summer nights back home in Northern Idaho.

Life is a sweet story, and reminiscing old memories only make it sweeter. The rich smell of Barbecue outside the window reminded me of my family dinners out on our front porch, campfires after a long day boating, and freshly caught fish from the river sizzling on the grill. It reminded me of my childhood log home in the mountains, basketball games on the little slab of concrete next to it, climbing trees with my brother, playing whiffle ball on the front lawn, picking raspberries, and wondering what DIY landscape project my father was up to next. I love instances that arise reminding me of the past, when things happen that jog my memory of all the experiences I have had. In one of my favorite Disney movies, Anastasia, a young girl named Anastasia walks down a road in Russia trying to discover her past while searching for her future. For the past few and upcoming several years my life story has been and is a lot like that of Anastasia’s. Her song, Journey to the Past, I have determined is my theme song. Unlike her I know most of my past, but l too like her search out my future every day. The last verse of the song goes like this:

One step at a time
One hope, then another
Who knows where
This road may go-
Back to who i was
On to find my future
Things my heart still
Needs to know
Yes, let this be a sign!
Let, this road be mine!
Let it lead me to my past
Courage see me through
Heart I’m trusting you
To bring me home…

It sounds cheesy, but growing up to great Disney classics such as Anastasia, Pocahontas, and The Lion King instilled in me a love for adventure. Now that I am a bit older I have the opportunity to leave the television screen and the story books behind and actually journey out in the world. It is thrilling to experience such incredible cultural differences, to eat ethnic foods, converse with people from all corners of the globe, and visually take in how life has worn on them differently than it has me. Speaking in a parable using food terms, Cambridge is not a main course of English cuisine, but a sampler of the world. I love adventures that send me sprinting through a wooded forest or scaling a coastal cliff, but I find equal hype in befriending someone from somewhere I have never been before. It is as if speaking with them allows me to view their country, and least through their eyes. From that moment their country goes on my bucket-list and a new favorites tab is added to my google chrome browser of all its important cultural aspects.

Colors of the Wind – Pocahontas

Come run the hidden pine trails of the forest
Come taste the sunsweet berries of the Earth
Come roll in all the riches all around you
And for once, never wonder what they’re worth

The Circle of Life – Lion King

From the day we arrive on the planet
And blinking, step into the sun
There’s more to see than can ever be seen
More to do than can ever be done
There’s far too much to take in here
More to find than can ever be found
But the sun rolling high
Through the sapphire sky
Keeps great and small on the endless round

Both these songs have a special place in my heart because their words are so full of adventure…