the process of Australia begins

my process officially begins today. the movement to make my trip to australia happens today. this mini-adventure surfaces at the request of the australian government. when i filled out my online application for a tourist visa i was informed that in order for my request to be considered that i would have to have a chest x-ray taken. because i spent time in Vanuatu, for the Peace Corps, there was a high risk of tuberculosis they want to clear me of. there is a specific list of doctors which the country authorizes, and of course there are none listed in maine!

when i call one of the two doctors listed in massachusetts, i tell the receptionist that i have an unusual request, but she informs me its not unusual at all! you mean, i have to go all the way to boston for a 15 minute xray! and so, the "journey" begins.

i figure, if i cant make my way from Maine to Boston, then i shouldnt be galavanting to the other side of the world. but it isnt easy! its known among loved ones that i loathe driving, so i take the bus from portland to south station and then jump on the subway. i have to confirm with my sister in law (who lives in mass) that the trolley and the subway are the same thing. i make sure i'm extra early, which reminds me of my days living in tokyo. in order to avoid the stress of being late, i like to arrive with pleny of time to spare. when i get off my train stop, i see my favorite food store: Trader Joe's! woohoo! i purchase my lunch, and then make my way down the street to confirm where the medical center is, and then find a small playground to eat my lunch at.

everything is well and good with my nerves, until i get to the building where i'm due to have an xray. i made an appointment, but there are plenty of walk-ins off the street laundering around. i'm the only white person in the tiny space, and not that i'm prejudice, i'm just not used to being the minority. (which i think is healthy for me to be out of my comfort zone) i fill out the necessary paperwork, and i wait. and i wait. and while i wait, i try to block out my surroundings while i'm reading. studying is more like it. nope, i'm not taking classes, i just have "self-help" books and books on spiritality and i'm making notes in my journal and highlighting here and there. i feel alone, i feel anxious, i feel out of place. and then... a most wonderful thing happens!

a gentleman a few years younger than i, who'd been arguing with the receptionist and finally receives the paperwork he's waiting for, on his way out approaches me with a writing utensil. he says "i've been noticing you and think you could use this more than i". and he hands me a contraption that if you click once its a pen, and click twice and it becomes a highlighter. well i was shocked. and humbled. here i was, feeling so out of sorts and a bit scared, and not even making any efforts i connected with somebody. i was being myself, doing my own thing what was true to me, despite feeling out of place, and a stranger went out of his way to engage with me. the interaction was brief, but its effect lingered. there's many points to make from this event.

we are not alone. ever. you cant know how what you're doing or feeling is resonating with someone else. and no matter how estranged you feel, we are all alike. and how much did that little gesture mean to me? it signified more than a recognition, more than him supplying a handier tool than the one i was using. it reminded me of the theory to "pay it forward". that scenario instilled in me what i'd always believed, but buried deep within. humans ARE caring beings. there is goodness in the world. perhaps we know not how we will pay our bills, what the diagnosis of our loved one's cancer will bring, each one of us has our worries. yet, we are all of one humanity, of one energy, of one existence. you may think i'm "reading into this too much", or "being too corny", but i'm sure if you ponder for a moment, you'll realize there's been proof of this theory in your own life. perhaps you havent seen it that way. perhaps that is the reason you are reading this exerpt now. perhaps.