today i saw a photograph of myself that i had never seen before. it was taken in lahore, pakistan by jacob simkin. if you want to meet creativity, sincerity, adventure and talent all rolled into one, then you should make it a point to meet jake. he continues to amaze me with his journey through life - and i am so grateful to have spent those weeks in pakistan and india with him. he was a tangible lesson of what it means to walk forward trusting that it will all work out however it needs to. he showed compassion and generosity that is rare to find in a world full of 'me, me, me'. his ability to put anyone at ease and make instant friends was uncanny and he. never. once. complained. not in all that heat. not when our meagre budget meant that for two weeks we had a breakfast of one vegemite sandwich. not when he, time and time again, had to sit with 75% of his body out of the rickshaw so we could all fit in one moving tin can as opposed to spending money on two. he also had to put up with being the only male in our crew and this in itself is worthy of mention because a weaker man would have probably abandoned us after day three.
seeing this photo instantly took me back to pakistan. to that particular entrance way. that exact night. it struck me again how grateful i was to have had this experience. one that i was tempted to cancel right up to the point that i got on the plane. it reminded me how the most challenging times can ultimately be an amazing source of reward.
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