3 STATES....NO CAR

This morning I saw the permanent exhibit at the Holocaust Memorial Museum.  I was literally at a loss for words.  I don't have a witty remark or a pithy comment for this one.  I truly think that my generation cannot simply comprehend genocide in any capacity.  My generation tends to be desensitized and over-stimulated at the same time, thanks to overexposure to the media and pop culture.  Spending 3 hours attempting to slip into the stolen shoes of a Holocaust victim left me  exactly that...desensitized and over-stimulated, BUT it had nothing to do with CNN or Britney Spears.  For 3 hours I thought nothing of fashion or if my hair looked okay.  For 3 hours, I appreciated existing in a generation, in a country where ethnic cleansing doesn't exist and where a national tradition of democracy and freedom have made it nearly impossible for me to conceptualize would it would have been like to have been persecuted because of my faith.  

I am being presented with opportunities that millions of children who were immediately terminated with their arrival to concentration camps will NEVER have. Needless to say, my morning definitely put things in perspective for me.  That little exercise in walking through life with a grateful, positive attitude served me well as I had an experience this afternoon that would have normally bothered me ALOT more than I let it today.  We all know my middle name is Mary, NOT PATIENCE.

In order to get a textbook for my TWC class that meets for the first time this Thursday my instructor e-mailed instructions to go to the George Mason University bookstore to purchase the book.  It's not as easy as it looks kids.

I went through 3 STATES....NO CAR!  Starting in MD, I used the metro to go through D.C., to VA, got on a bus that eventually took me to the GMU campus, walked across a UCONN size campus, bought my book and attempted to patiently (includes appreciating life, freedom of religion, great opportunities all at the same time) repeat the aforementioned process in reverse.  4 hours people.... 4 hours to buy a book that will probably share the fate of most of the textbooks I have bought over the past four years... I won't read it and I'll get an A in the class anyway (ok so the holocaust museum didn't necessarily teach me humility).

Here's the thing...I'm now extremely confident using almost every mode of transportation available to me throughout the span of 3 states.  I'm also confident that today put a few more notches in the life lesson belt on several levels.  I would like to think that I've put a fair amount of notches on that belt before coming to Washington but.... I have a feeling the belt is going to become a little more 'weathered' over the next 15 weeks.  I'm going to have to keep these lessons with me....Gonna wear that belt nice and tight!

First day of work tomorrow =)