I can't believe that last year, at this time, I was somewhere in South Africa playing with kids or painting a church or teaching in the schools. This summer's adventure wasn't nearly as far, yet it was life-changing in a completely different way. This year, two of my close girlfriends and I decided to go backpacking in the Sierras. Now, this wasn't your basic "build-a-tent-and-roast-smores" camping; this was "pump-your-own-water-and-carry-your-freeze-dried-food" kind of camping. And it was amazing. To go along with my theme of "learning from friends", I want to share a transformational lesson that I learned on our trip from a very unexpected friend.

On our second day, we randomly met a group of three backpackers who asked to take our picture along the trail. Since my friend's camera battery was almost gone, we thought it was a great idea and then asked them to email us with the pictures. As we talked more, we came to find out that one of the men in the group is the outdoor journalist for the San Francisco Chronicle. He is a well-known author, backpacker and typical "outdoorsman", and has written countless books and articles all about his journeys in the wilderness. (He was even hired to go find Bigfoot). He even interviewed us for an article he's writing!

As we sat and talked with these three men, we found ourselves soaking up their stories and knowledge and love for nature. The truly had an appreciation for the beauty and magnificence of nature, and it was contagious. We all agreed that trips like these were so refreshing because you were able to get away from noise and schedules and the hectic pace of life. Then, the journalist made a comment that I will never forget: "When you take trips out here and get away from everything, things come up that you didn't realize. Everyone has a blindspot, and you won't see it until you get out here." For the rest of the trip, almost every moment I had to think and reflect, I kept wondering, "what is my blindspot?"

The week prior to our trip, the pastor at church was talking about self-deception. We all have vices in our lives that we either don't see or refuse to see, and the hurried pace of daily life keeps these in the background. Being out in the middle of the wilderness, surrounded by silence and peace and creation, I had no choice but to look at my blindspots. Do I like admitting them? No. Do I like recognizing that I'm self-centered or need attention or feel lonely? No. Does that bring healing? Painfully, it does. Thankfully, I had two incredible friends with me to help me walk through this, and I'll share more about that next time.

My prayer is that you would take the time to get away and look for your blindspots. Some may be just over your shoulder; others might be buried deep. I know how uncomfortable and strange this feels, yet hope comes when you know yourself more fully...

much love, my friends...

alair