Life tends to give you little reminders when you get sidetracked or forget about reality. In my case the reminder came at a local Lhosar Festival this last weekend. Lhosar is the celebration of the Tibetan New Year and is typically celebrated by the Sherpa culture as much of their culture and ancestry migrated from Tibet hundreds of years ago. This Festival was hosted by the Northwest Sherpa Association, celebrating the Year of the Earth-Mouse.
Kim, Sabrina and our friend Dan were meeting up with Kim’s previous trek organizers Leslye and Dave as well as friends Sonam and his wife Mingma. An excellent buffet was laid out while the 120 or so guests enjoyed music and dancing demonstrations.
My whack on the head came just after a slideshow put on by Lhakpa Rita Sherpa. Here was a man who had scaled Mount Everest eleven times and is in the process of climbing the highest peak on each of the seven continents (four down, three to go). This is the type of person I normally look up to as I enjoy climbing and respect someone who has accomplished much in this realm. I don’t idealize these athletes, but I know what they have gone through to get to where they are and respect that.
The slideshow was a first person personal account of climbing Mount Everest and contained dramatic and humorous insight into this particular trip. After the slideshow, as he was helping put away the projector, I thanked him for sharing the slideshow and complimented him on the presentation. It was then that I got my reminder. He said, “You’re welcome. This is my first time doing it.”
It was a subtle reminder, but a reminder nonetheless. We all have something that seems hard or daunting when first viewed, but once you’ve done it a couple of times, it’s a lot easier. Here was someone who wouldn’t think twice about climbing Everest again, but was obviously nervous about presenting a slideshow….something I’ve done a number of times and don’t think twice about. Perspective makes a big impact on how easy or hard something seems.
So the next time you have some big goal or task in mind and keep fidgeting about getting started, take a moment to put things in perspective. This may be your first time doing it, but soon it will not be and there may be a day when it’s old hat. Just enjoy where you are and don’t get too caught up in worrying about new experiences. Embrace them and they’ll be far more fun.
That evening also reminded me of another lesson, it’s something I read in a book somewhere. The book pointed out people will travel from LA to some small island in Asia to ‘experience’ a native culture they might think is exotic and different. They think going to the home of this culture is where they can find the authentic article. When in fact a fair amount of time the people in the far off land end up dressing in shorts and t-shirts, looking more like the visitors than the idealized vision the tourists had in mind. Sometimes the natives will even dress up just for the tourists because that is what the tourists are expecting to see, even if it is not authentically who they are any more on a day to day basis.
The author pointed out how often these tourists don’t even try to connect with the remote culture that may also exist in their own hometown. And that is why I’m glad Kim decided we should go to the Lhosar here in Puget Sound (there was another festival put on by the Nepal Seattle Society in West Seattle as well). While some people may wait to go to Nepal to feel what it’s like, this was as authentic a representation as I could imagine, having never been to Nepal. The dance and music was traditional. The group circle dances were the same as Kim had experienced at the end of her treks. These were people who took their home culture with them and celebrating in Renton was just as good as celebrating in Nepal when they kept their culture and traditions in their hearts. Some people may say it’s not the same. I can tell you from experience that being there that night felt like celebrating in Nepal (as much as I can imagine); location didn’t matter, who we celebrated with did. It’s the people that make up a culture, not so much the location.
If you have an interest in a far-flung culture, try to find it in your backyard first (it’s a lot cheaper :)). Most cultures are warm and inviting when they find you are interested in learning more. When they are far from ‘home’ many will appreciate the opportunity to share with you a bit of where they came from and why they may love it so.
Take a chance, reach out.
