Worthy of Desire… (Almost At The Galapagos)
It’s been a great 10 days so far on this South American adventure. Cartagena, Colombia did exactly what I thought it would… wring out the winter from my body by sweating through every article of clothing I brought with me with 90F temperatures and 100% humidity. It was awesome to see the tropical storms breeze through and watch the streets be flooded. The week I spent there was not enough and if I did not have this Galapagos tour planned, I would have stayed. Which means, I will return before the summer is over… or should I say winter because it’s the southern hemisphere… well, kind of.
It became time to get to Ecuador and to the Galapagos Islands whether I was ready or not. But before I landed in the Galapagos, I had to meet Roxanne, a young woman from Germany on the flight from Quito, Ecuador to the Galapagos. Roxanne is in her early 30s and I overheard a conversation she was having a couple rows behind me that raised my antenna. At first, I wasn’t sure I was hearing things correctly, so I listened more intently…
This young lady had asked her employer to go on a part time basis so she could focus on some things in her life. She had requested a 4 day a week and was refused because the business wanted her 100%. So, she gave her two-week notice. After she gave her notice, her employer realized she was serious, and they were willing to negotiate with her. She was not. She was done.
She explained the realization she had about her situation. That the corporate world wants their employees to be 100% dedicated to the business and their mission, while the business doesn’t have to take an interest in their employee’s personal desires for themselves. Every single employee becomes dispensable and replaceable to big business. Get a load of this… she was saying the jobs become dispensable for the people just as the people are dispensable to the business. It’s unfortunate that a lot of people become so attached to their jobs and making money that there isn’t much room for movement should a person want some time or space to do something different.
I was struck by this woman’s story. Not only because of the courage she had to quit her job so she could do the things that brought her pleasure. But, because I think she hit the nail on the head when she said big business doesn’t care about their employees, they only care about their own mission, productivity, and economics.
I admire the courage it took for Roxanne to quit her job and follow her dreams. She told me that her desires are worthy of having AND exploring and seeing through and that no employer of hers was going to try to convince her otherwise. This young woman is brilliant and courageous. She was about to spend three weeks in the Galapagos with only the first few days planned out with places to stay. Something I did not want to do in the Archipelago region of the Galapagos due to all the rules and restrictions.
It makes me wonder about the employee-owned business model. Like Bonners Soap Company or Publix and how they may support the individual employees and their own desires for themselves outside of the work environment.
What is the moral of the story?
You are worthy of your desires. Just don’t get attached to the outcome and remain open to the boat being steered in a direction you could not imagine it going to. Just take what the Universe puts in your path and let the rest unfold. Balance the observer within and the driver.
The plan was to come to South America the summer of 2020. I had airline tickets and a place to stay in Uruguay… and then the pandemic hit. Now fast forward to today… Uruguay wasn’t the place for me to go. I wanted more of the tropics in the north and not have to experience winter in back-to-back seasons. Oh, the joys of traveling to south of the equator.
Sometimes when people see me in a foreign country with the light color of my skin, they think I am a westerner full of money, rich and thriving. Granted, I am comfortable, and the USA has provided for me so that I can be generous with people and where it will make the most difference. I have bought groceries and food for two families since I have been here. I believe that raising humanity from the bottom up is the most important. So, we can get the basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter to everyone who needs it. It’s not that I can’t do that in the USA, I just don’t agree with the cyclical economic principles of the USA… encouraging debt, working to never pay it off, only to go into debt further, to have to work forever to pay it off. USA is the place where medical bankruptcy is the most common form of bankruptcy. We have an unstated obligation to each other… to see each other thrive in our lives.
Another way I can translate the family values here is in the history of religious dogma that has translated into dharma here. The Spaniards came here in the 1500’s and brought with them Catholicism and the teachings of Jesus which has stuck around for centuries. Jesus’ teachings are all over the place here…
It is obvious to me in my engagements with the locals that they are kind, friendly and understanding. Yes, sure, I have to tell the street vendors “no gracias” so many times for them to get the message of “no”. One of the men I met on the beach recognized some of my irritation at the end of the day. He saw what was happening and came over, sat next to me, put his hand on my shoulder and said to me “no thank you” with a smile. Giving me the lesson I needed to put away that irritation and realize people are only trying to make a living. I made up the story that he was looking out for my well-being. Was this an example of how we can care for each other? I think yes!
