Relections
along the way
written portraits of randy & his journey
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
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The Mountain It started high in the Himalayas. Long before I even knew what a "bucket list" was, this certainly qualified to be on any list of mine. Near the end of June 1985, I had just finished my teaching contract at a university in southern China. I had a fist-full of renminbi, which I had been accumulating for well over a year. And since the currency was only recognized within China, I had to spend it, or lose it. So, I decided to head to the interior of China; wander with a backpack; see sights; take pictures; and go until I ran out of cash. It was a bohemian’s dream. Yet, for me, I wasn’t really being bohemian. I was just being me. It made practical sense to see things while I was there. I had an opportunity for some “hands-on” learning of Chinese geography, culture, and history. I just had to do it. There was no way that I could not. So, off I went - alone and without much of a planned itinerary. I did what was starting to become a natural reaction. I headed west. And in the process, I ended up in Tibet.  The Potala Tibet is an “autonomous region” in China. It is also known as the “Roof of the World”. The average elevation is 14,750’. And, Lhasa, the capital, is at 12,000’. It is the “mecca” of Tibetan Buddhism - with the Dali Lama as its most recognizable citizen. In the summer of 1985, independent travelers were being allowed into Tibet for the first time, so I jumped on that bandwagon.  I knew little about Buddhism. I saw some of the 700 room palace of the exiled Dali Lama called the Potala. I huffed and puffed my way up to 15,000’ to a monastery, and saw the fluttering “prayer flags” – intended to send prayers to the heavens as the winds blew. I saw the grounds for the “sky burial” littered with bones of the departed, picked clean by the birds - in hopes of being taken to the sky.  I wandered to the main temple – the Jokhang. It was there, that I felt a cloud of spiritual darkness. Wrinkled, emaciated, and dying elderly people were crawling, and prostrating themselves to earn their way to the afterlife. My soul was filled with sorrow for the hopelessness I felt. For the first time in my life, I grieved for the spiritual condition of someone that I did not know. Of all the things I experienced while living in, and traveling through China, the time I spent quietly standing outside that temple in Tibet impacted me the deepest. It was a poignant moment, which moved me to take stock of my own spiritual life. And, while I thoroughly enjoyed wandering through the interior regions of China, and I have tons of memories, this one has lingered with me the longest. The Valley  The Li River, Guilin After being in China for close to two years, I needed to shut down and park the ride for a while. I needed to recalibrate life and reboot - even though I didn’t know it at the time. I had just come off a literal “mountain top experience” in Tibet. I had been in “travel mode” for about four months, and was never in the same bed for more than a week at the most. I wandered through most of China, and a fair amount of Japan. It was an adrenalin rush – an “extreme high”. I saw lots of incredible sights. It was euphoric. It was also unsustainable. Towards the end of 1985, I finally plummeted into a major valley. I crashed full bore into cross-cultural reentry, as I sought to readjust to life in the United States. I had gone through cross-cultural reentry before - back in 1978 after the Dominican Republic. I felt confident that I was prepared for it. I knew that I needed to readjust to my native culture. But, I didn’t know that a valley was good for me. I had been freewheeling for over a dozen years, and it was time to be dependent; take stock of my life; and learn some valuable things from God and others. On top of reentry stress, I was lonely. I wanted an answer. I wanted a wife. Or, I wanted to be content being single, and stop worrying about it. I was 31, and I decided that if I wasn’t married before I turned 33, then it was time to move on. I put an “expiration date” on my quest for a wife. It was October 1987. No kidding!  I was demoted. I didn’t have a job. Therefore, I was unemployed. So, I devised a “self-employed” position for myself. I designed a business card and called myself a “China Consultant”. Even I am not really sure of the job description. I gave talks and some “slide presentations” on China. I made a little money. But mostly, I presented myself as being an entrepreneur, instead of being jobless. I was sick. I had a nagging cough. Due to molds, allergies, and air quality in tropical southern China, I was sick a lot. I was sick for two weeks, about every three weeks. Then I travelled for months and pushed myself. I was tired and physically worn out. Finally, I was broke. I had shot my wad of cash. I was in a very dependent state. And, that’s right where God wanted me. He had some valuable things to teach me about trusting and relying on him. Stay tuned: The focus of the next four posts is on this two-year valley. I grow a lot, and I affectionately call this next group of stories "Getting thru the Daze".
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Randy CarrRandy is a life-purpose and legacy coach with a passion to help seniors be purposeful in retirement. He has a background in history, education, ministry, publishing, and crossing cultures. Randy's Story
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