Everywhere on Earth is Still the Earth

Yesterday I went to a wedding of a high school friend at Creighton in Omaha, Nebraska. It was the strangest thing, I have not seen most of these people in years or been to Creighton in years and at one point in the day I was struck by the similarity of Earth. I thought about sitting at 23,000 feet in Pakistan, a 60 mile bicycle ride with a divorced friend, and running at the Mines of Spain. Why does any of that matter? It matters because life is not confined to the walls of a building. It matters because for me those other places I was talking about have a seriousness and loneliness that does not happen in a building. Relationships are built on so much, so much that is not covered in pictures and videos.

I guess that the allure of those places I mentioned and others is in part due to the challenge of getting there, but once I am there I still breathe the same air and I am the same person. Seeing the wedding yesterday, and getting a little emotional, reminded me that it is one step in the process. It does not occur without significant thought and involves significant work after the fact. Two factors which do not have nearly the spectators of the wedding yet probably make or break the relationship more than a day in front of the public.

In short, it was a fantastic trip for me and I am extremely excited for my friends, the newly weds. Seeing this I realized how complex any one person's history is. I knew the bride before the groom did. We all breathe the same air and drink the same water and stand on the same dirt. To those about to rock the rest of their lives together: congratulations, work hard and have fun!