Cynthia's Reflections of a Journey

"Travel does what good novelists also do to the life of everyday, placing it like a picture in a frame or a gem in its setting, so the intrinsic qualities are made more clear. Travel does this with the very stuff that everyday life is made of, giving it the sharp contour and meaning of art." -Freya Stark

I love this quote because it expresses the nervous excitement I have felt every day of my journey here in Brazil and about life. I have just gotten consistent internet access and ironically, being disconnected has made me even more connected to myself and the experience. This photo was taken from the backseat of the car on our tour of Sao Paulo. So here you are, trying to inhale every molecule of the experience and capture in an instant the smell, the color and the feeling that will become your memory as you snap what you know is the "perfect" image and this is what appears...I must say after several of these "perfect" photos Shelley (my backseat companion) and I belly laughed and determined that this was an amazing metaphor for life as it unfolds. It is in this blur that everyday life and it's "intrinsic qualities" are given "sharp contour." Some of the most powerful events in our lives come without warning…the energy renders you suddenly aware and awakens parts of your unconscious hurling them into your conscious mind, changing you forever. Each time a metamorphosis occurs there is a small interior voice that becomes more audible and gives one pause to question what other parts of the unconscious are awaiting to wake from slumber. This has been my experience in Brazil thus far.

I am grateful for the events that have led me to this fellowship, for my traveling companions Shelley, Judy, Amy and Leslie who are forever imprinted on my heart, for the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts for mentoring me and providing me with tools to recognize new things in the community before me and about myself and for the existence of this exchange program that creates space for innovative and powerful connections professionally, organizationally and personally.Our Brazilian hosts are warm, engaging and put so much thought and care into crafting an experience that spoke to our individual interests as well as our shared passions about health, human rights and social justice. All of these amazing individuals remind me about the meaning of passion and commitment, expressed through the bonds of communal solidarity.

My world has expanded in ways I could not have imagined since the beginning of this journey. I have made new friends and cultivated a deeper bond with existing ones. I have learned that engagement with our partners at home or abroad represent a form of “living text” where theory and practice come to life as we purposefully do our work. Moving forward, when thinking about policy and creating shift it is the voices, faces and stories of the women I have met that I will hear and remember. It is in the blur of life that quite possibly the most beautiful moments exist.

I have been moved everyday by the courage, heart and conviction of the diverse group of women here who ignite change. Thank you to all of you for being true to who you are out in the world.