What happens in mexico .. stays in mexico... except when i blog about it.

So I just got back from my trip to Mexico with my family. We spent a week in Los Cabos, and our hotel was in Cobo San Jose. The trip was awesome! We went parasailing, horseback riding, scuba diving, played at the beach, and most importantly took lots of naps by the pool/ocean :) BUT I ended up taking home more than just a sunburn from my trip. Surprise surprise Jaron has another "life lesson" to share! But this one is cool !

         There were several times where I was truly humbled on this trip. This one was the most profound to me:
We were sitting on a bus after a fun day at the beach. And I had been loudly complaining about how my skin was peeling because of my sunburn and saying that I "looked like a freaking leper!" After about ten minuets of quietly sitting on the bus I started to do what I always do in a bus... evesdrop on everyone elses conversations. And I couldn't help but overhear one mans conversation (he was seriously a loud guy). I noticed that he was getting to know everyone on his row and introducing himself and his family to everyone. I was amazed at not only his kindness, but his willingness to REALLY get to know people. Not just the surface "how are you" crap we usually do. Then as we were getting ready to head off the bus and I turned back to see the loud man I had been listening to, and when I saw him my heart just sunk. The man had been badly burned all over his face and the left side of his body. Very few facial features were recognizeable on his right side, and on the left side there were no facial features at all. I looked down at the hand he had been greeting people with and saw a small mishaped nub with four fingers on it.
             
This man had every reason to hide quietly in the back of the bus... but he didn't. He wasn't concerned with superficial things, he just wanted to talk to people and make friends. I thought back on how I had been loudly complaining about my skin peeling off my forhead and started to feel sick with regret. NEVER again will I complain about stupid superficial things that don't matter. Its my new goal to take care of my body and appearance without obsessing over it. And beyond that I want to emulate that mans willingness to get out there and meet people. If someone like that can put themselves out there with no shame, no hiding, and no fear, what could possible hold ME back? 

Just a little something to ponder on :)