Natalie’s Great Adventure ✨
“We’re born looking like our parents — and we die looking like our decisions.”
I recently heard that phrase, and while I can’t track down who said it, the truth of it sticks with me.
Last year, our daughter Natalie found herself at a crossroads.
She had a great job — but then her company decided to shut down their local office and invited her to relocate to headquarters
She said, “No thanks.” ✋
They graciously gave her six more months of work. After that? She was unemployed.
But instead of rushing to line up a new job, Natalie did something rare.
She paused. She took inventory.
She asked a brave question:
“What if I erased the whiteboard?” 🧽
She realized she could live comfortably for a year without working. So she made another decision — not to fill the time with more of the same, but to explore. Not to numb the transition, but to grow through it.
Today, I’m picking her up at the airport after three months in Europe.
She’s now planning a trip to New Zealand between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
But the first chapter of this sabbatical was Africa — a month in Zambia, where she served with a friend launching a rural workforce training program.
We recently sat down to reflect.
Here’s a bit of our conversation:
1. What was your biggest surprise in Zambia?
Traveling to Africa for the first time came with plenty of surprises. I spent most of my time in Zambia, where power is available only about seven hours a day.
That reality brought a lot of adjustments, unexpected challenges, and a deep sense of gratitude for things I’d once taken for granted — turning on a light, buying yogurt, or charging my phone.
Those first few days were full of physical and mental adjustments unlike anything I’d experienced before. Even four months after returning home, I still feel grateful every day for the ease of making coffee or running the washing machine without a second thought.
2. What did you learn there?
My time in Zambia was full of life lessons, but two key takeaways stayed with me:
The slower pace of life and the happiness found in simplicity.
In the U.S., we’re expected to hustle constantly — I was used to jam-packed days, endless to-do lists, and the pressure to be relentlessly productive. In Africa, time isn’t measured or valued in the same way, yet never in a disrespectful sense.
Life simply moves slower. A chance encounter on the street might turn into an hours-long conversation, and meals are prepared from whole ingredients with care. The true value lies in the quality of each day, not in the number of things accomplished.
3. Do you feel like you had real impact?
In what ways?
I truly felt I was able to make an impact — through the time I spent, the expertise I shared, the connections I built, and the work I did in rural villages.
For the company I supported in Zambia, I created flyers, built their website, developed project trackers, improved the billing system, networked with local businesses, and more. Beyond the office, I spent time with a girls’ youth soccer team sponsored by the company and volunteered with partner organizations conducting outreach in remote villages. Each of these experiences, in its own way, made a meaningful and lasting difference.
4. Did your world view change as a result of this trip?
Throughout the trip, I found myself thinking that no number of photos or YouTube videos — and I had seen plenty — could ever truly capture Africa. The landscapes, the people, the energy are impossible to convey through a screen.
Each country, and even each village, carries its own distinct magic. In terms of my worldview, the experience helped me better understand how others live and just how much of a bubble Western society can be. The people I met, being able to experience their way of life, the pace of life and value in community changed my worldview forever.
5. Would you go back?
Yes! Underlying all of this is that Generosity is not just about money.
We all develop skills and have experiences that can be a gift to so many. While our lives do reflect our decisions! Using those decisions to reach out, to serve others and to give of yourself is the best decision you might ever make!
We may be shaped by our decisions…
But the best ones are the ones that shape others too.
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