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In a blink of an eye
by Larissa Norton (Imagine Ethiopia 2010 participant)
It has already been 9 months since I returned from Ethiopia, and 6 months since I’ve been diagnosed with the C word. Where does time go? I swear the older you get, the faster time goes by. I’m already the BIG 2-3. Are you kidding me? That number freaks me out; I’m almost a quarter of a century old. The age has already taken a toll; I’ve gained 15 pounds, lost my hair, have troubles catching my breath after walking 10 steps, and can’t remember where I’ve placed things.
Larissa with Shawet, one of imagine1day’s students from the Maego community in Ethiopia
The last 9 months have definitely changed my perspective and outlook on life to say the least. It has opened my eyes on how delicate and precious life is, and showed me how important it is to live everyday doing the things you love. Life can pass you by in a blink of an eye, and you won’t know where the time went to check off the things you’ve always wanted to do on your “bucket list.”
My trip to Ethiopia with imagine1day was an experience of a lifetime; I can’t even put into words how incredible it was. I went on the trip to help provide an education for the children of Ethiopia, and simultaneously the trip did the same for me. I feel that I ended up learning more than any degree could ever offer. Everyone who took part in imagine Ethiopia 2010, left the trip completely moved by the entire experience. Not only did I develop a connection with Ethiopia, but with the participants and leaders on the trip as well.
The entire Imagine Ethiopia 2010 team
I didn’t realize how much I learned from the trip until I came back home. Less than 45 days after I left Ethiopia, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. I was looking at one of my biggest fears straight in the eyes – cancer. Ok…where is my rope, helmet, and harness?! Conquering cancer feels similar to when I was scaling a complete vertical cliff in the mountains of Ethiopia, except I have nothing to protect me and I don’t have any words of encouragement from Majka and Peter to calm me down. “Gotta do this one on my own.” At one point I thought I was going to be living in a remote church in the mountains of Miriam Korkor because I didn’t think it was possible to make my way back down, I actually thought I was going to faint because my fear of heights took over me. A couple of local boys took my hand and led me all the way back down, I could have blindfolded myself and would have felt comfortable enough to get back in one piece. Every step I took was carefully placed, the security of their hands and look in their eyes made me confident I would not slip down the exposed cliff side. Never in my life have I felt that security of a complete stranger; I couldn’t even speak their language and yet I trusted them to not let me slip out of their hands. The sincerity in their eyes was absolutely breathtaking.
Larissa and her sister, Lacey, against the beautiful Ethiopian landscape
The next day I was taking down those cliffs that made me want to curl up in a ball and pretend I was lying in the safety of my cozy bed. I strapped on some rock climbing gear and climbed that mother. “Pfff….piece of cake or injera (Ethiopian bread); whatever you prefer.” Fear of heights conquered! Yes!
Larissa making “Cliffhanger” look easy in Ethiopia
I overcame many of my fears on Imagine Ethiopia 2010. Before I left, I was even hesitant to get on the plane to fly to Ethiopia. Questions kept arising like, “what’s it going to be like? Will I come home alive? Will I get some weird foreign sickness or disease? Will the trip be worth the money? Will it be worth me taking a semester off at school? Will my mom quit calling to tell me not to get on the plane?”
Larissa and another Imagine Ethiopia participant, Brett Conrad, helping lay foundation with a member from the Maego community in Northern Ethiopia.
Fearing the unknown can really get in the way of living your life to the fullest. It’s kind of like one of those invisible walls I’ve talked about earlier, except this time it has one of those bird stickers on the pane scaring us to not run into it and not discover what’s on the other side but this time you gotta smash that window down!!!! Take a big sledgehammer and knock that little birdy out of there! Most of us live our lives with safety harnesses on at all times and never get the courage to do the things that excite us the most. We like to follow the “plan” that’s going to lead us down the road of “success”. Please someone tell me what success is? Oh ya…Is it that white picket fence with 3 kids, a golden retriever, and X amount of dollars in the bank account? I forgot… Oh, and you have to do that before the age of 30 or else you’re a failure! So, once you’re done high school, you go to University, randomly pick a subject cause you have no clue what you actually want to do, get a job to pay the bills, settle for someone who has the same “lifestyle” as you (who cares about love), and start popping out the babes before your clock starts to tick.
Take off that harness, and do that something that really excites you because the fear of the unknown might creep out when you least expect it. Sometimes that fear isn’t planned, and there isn’t anything you can do to control it. Life is too short not to be living the life you imagine, and not to take part in things you love. Be brave and take the road that no one else has been on. I cannot wait to continue conquering my hesitations and fears once I’m done taking my booster juice (chemo). 15 more days to go and I’m back in the saddle! It’s going to be a wicked ride that’s for sure.
- Larissa Norton
Click here to learn more about joining the Imagine Ethiopia 2011 journey in October.
