shades of gray

(image by Cathy Woo)

one of the more random and valuable skills you learn after living in the NW for a bit, is the art of distinguishing shades of gray (by the way, 'grey' vs 'gray' is a british vs american sort of thing, just an fyi-didn't know that until today...). yesterday, i was at one of my favorite parks, Sunset Hill, and the expansive view was entirely achromatic. it was shade after shade after shade of gray. and it was gorgeous.

the sea was a murky, tin-colored gray, while the clouds ranged from barely gray to elephant-skin gray to graphite gray, leaving the mountains to present themselves a strong, cool 'blue-steel' gray (no, not the zoolander pose...). white mountain caps and boats sails pristinely glistened against the subtle backdrop.

life is like that too sometimes. all sorts of shades of gray. lots of questions. not always a clear answer. pristine moments of clarity and then back into the sea of gray. yet there is a comfort in the shades of gray. it's a place that allows space for movement, development. saturday, i finally decided to wait on applying for Africa. as much as i ache to be there and think about it all the time, it feels forced and unnatural right now. i can clearly pin-point some areas of my life in need of further refinement that would make my experience in Africa different than if i were to go now. there will always be ways we are refined and we'll never be 'perfectly' ready but i think God is calling me to wait a bit longer and to be more intentional about how i live my life.

bethany community church has this inscribed in our old chapel and it's a motto that drives what we value as a community: in essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity. i love it because it leaves room for the shades of gray we will inevitably encounter thoughout life.

so as i look to stay here in the US for a bit longer, i am still ambiguous about where to land...i have a meeting over at NBBJ this tuesday and may submit my application after that depending on how it goes. still open to working in design and to not working in design-i don't know-shades of gray.

last night i found this amazing non-profit organization called Indego Africa. they seek to bring the arts/crafts of African nations to the US.

indigo cloth is common in many parts of africa but as you'll notice, it's spelled a bit differently. 'indego' is a compilation of 3 words that make up the mission of this organization: 'in'dependence, 'de'velopment, 'go'vernance.

"Indego Africa Project is a partnership between African communities and volunteers committed to alleviating poverty and chronic unemployment in Africa by providing reliable income, developing job skills, and affording access to export markets, with the goal of creating and supporting sustainable businesses. And in the process, bringing Africa closer to you!"

they have a pretty cool website and are making a HUGE difference in the lives of so many African women! that makes me smile :D