From Lakewood to Uganda, With Love

Mbale, Uganda --  I arrived in Entebbe in the wee hours of the morning. During breakfast the next day, I felt a light tap on my shoulder and I turned around to find my old friend and TASO driver, Enos. He traveled from Mbale to pick us up and I was so happy to see his friendly smile, which is a lot like mine-we both have a gap in our front teeth.

Along the Jinja Road en route to Mbale, we passed tea farms, fresh mango stands, stoic women with 20-pound fruit baskets balanced gracefully on their heads, children holding hands, cows grazing and the breathtaking, lush Ugandan countryside.

I felt at home.

It's been almost four years since my last trip to Uganda. During that long time away, I got caught up in the all the stuff that I know in my heart is not too important — my appearance, material things, career, what other people think of me, money, buying more stuff, petty arguments, wanting more stuff, being thin, the Internet, constantly checking email and text messages, wanting more stuff, trying to fit a million tasks into one day, loosing patience, wanting more stuff.

Almost as soon as we got on the road, the smells, smiles and slow passing of time brought me back to a place I love to be: in the moment.

In Uganda, there is such a strong sense of community and connectedness. Everyone seems to be looking out for each other and no one is too busy to lend a hand or offer a smile. Yesterday, Joe (one of the Poultry Project co-founders) was at the bank and a man next to him needed a pen. Joe gave him his pen to use and, in a hurry, left the bank. Twenty minutes later, Joe and the TASO team were in the auto-repair alley getting a tire changed and a man jumped out of car, ran up to Joe and returned the borrowed pen. Joe forgot about that pen as soon as he handed it over, but the man didn't. He spent twenty minutes driving around Mbale trying to find Joe so he could give the pen back.

I love that little story. In Uganda, there is always time. And the amount of mindfulness I witness every day here is inspiring.

Read more about our work in Uganda at the Poultry Project blog.