Why ask why?

May 13, 2018

I’ve probably spent only 6 -10 days in my office during 2018. Part of that stems from my school-based work—in classrooms most of the day most days. Most of that results from traveling off-island so frequently, from neighbor islands to neighbor nations to international visits. After arriving home on a Friday afternoon and heading off again late on Monday, I arrived in American Samoa asking myself why. It’s not a question I have truly asked myself, more often thinking about the benefits of such journeys, which answers the question but doesn’t address the question.

But I suddenly had this desire to ask why. Why live out of ever-changing luggage? Why drive rental cars almost as often as my own? Why park my own for 3-4 months each year at the airport? Why treat my refrigerator at home like an icebox at a hotel?

Value. Stepping back into Samoa to start this newest training, I immediately met previous students and colleagues. In the joy of reconnecting and re-engaging, there was a palpable anticipation of the coming experience. Value.

Back in my office at home, I too often face the frustration of trying to keep that value alive. So much time is spent on trying to convince others of that value, who seem more bent on making it difficult to achieve the benefits than opening themselves to embracing what might be. Why? Why, I ask myself in those situations, do some people want to actively try to defeat what you are doing? Why do people want to make it harder to achieve the benefits than welcome the opportunity to discover how those advantages might enrich both our work?

I’ll be brutally honest here that I can only take so much of that sometime negative resistance. Mostly, I suppose, because I don’t understand it. What I comprehend is the joy of possibility, the elation of discovery, the thrill of a shared experience as we uplift and inspire each other.

So, then, why?

The joy of traveling to new possibilities. The elation of discovering what will happen in these new places and programs. The thrill of connecting with those who value the benefits of these creative experiences. I value the inspiration of working with those who embrace the possibilities this work offers.

I suppose, at core, the why is how revitalized I feel, despite the challenges of luggage, rental cars, airport parking and unstocked refrigerators. Those limited office days are, quite honestly, probably enough. By constantly moving about, I live the value more often to offset the resistance I must face on occasion to bring the value to more people in more places. And be inspired to travel more.