Pinch me. I am not dreaming

Enough to make your heart stop, or at least skip a beat.

Visitors have come and left. I woke up the next day thinking it was all a dream. I realized it wasn't and now it was time to get on with my life. Well I got on with my life. I worked this week, held a cooking class (see below), went to my first kids birthday party in Peru, organized activities for June, invited my co-workers to wild rice soup, hiked in the countryside and finish my first sweater (actually it is a shrug, but we'll just call it a sweater since I don't know how to translate shrug in Spanish - since we're on the topic my women will be so happy to see this "sweater": Nora 3 months to make a sweater = Peruvian women 2 weeks to make a sweater).

The cooking class was a smashing success, the sweater is a little too big, the birthday party was a chaotic, colorful and loud display of crazy Winnie-the-Pooh entertainment that lasted 3 very, very long hours. Just like my visitors visit, sometimes I feel like my days are a dream. I go from one day to the next thinking - did that just happen yesterday?

Did I just go visit a women this week who lives in an adobe house and it taking care of her nieces and nephews because their mom just died because of lack of money for medicine? Yes. Did I just give her some work and contract her to make a pullover and poncho for my family members on the same day? Yes. Did I just feel like I was in a circus show when I went downstairs to the biggest 2yr olds B.day party I have ever seen in my entire life? Yes. Did I just take a breathtaking walk in the countryside and tell my boyfriends' mom to finish decorating her rustic, gorgeous countryside house and make it into a hotel? Yes. Did I just dance the night away with a sweet, caring, kind, and beautiful man? Yes. Did I just eat octopus? Yes (and it was good). Did the smile of a dirty, small brown face boy just make my heart stop? Yes. Do I hear fighting from downstairs; mom and daughter not finding common ground on curfew? Always. Am I on the verge on planning a huge year long health training for my women? I think so. Do the mountains fill me with energy? Everyday. Does the gift of a piece of bread fill someone up? Of course.

Pinch me. There are so many moments filled with multiple emotions that there aren't even words to describe them all. I know I am not dreaming, I am living a dream. I am breathing new feelings, fears and hopes everyday. I wish the same for all of you. Emotions beyond words and a heart full of everything.