crazy texan

"It is a sad moment in the life of a dreamer when it is realized that the world kills dreamers. But it is ultimately the outcome of that moment that leads to either the tragically mundane or the gloriously inspired life."
~ Cody Lidster

I love this quote. I love even more that the person who said this quote lives the life of a dreamer. Too many times people just talk and don't live it out. About a year ago, I was just getting home from a trip with my work to Kenya and Uganda. There were a lot of experiences on that trip that I will never forget. One said experience was eating dinner with a Texan.

We had just endured a 40 minute drive with 9 people in a 7 seater land rover, true African style (and of course I was the one voted to have to sit on top of everyone. such an awkward place to be). Because of being crammed into the middle I couldn't actually see who were in the seats behind me. I knew it was the parents of one of the missionaries as well as some random guy with crazy curly hair and a bandana, never would have assumed he was Texan - I thought they were all clean cut with cowboy hats! We get to the restaurant which was actually just an outdoor food court where about 10 different Indian places compete for our business. I conveniently place myself at the other end of the table from my boss (Love her but sometimes people need a break in a 3 week trip) which put an empty seat across the table from me where the Texan sat down.

We talked coffee mostly. He tested my Starbucks coffee knowledge and we did a coffee tasting which almost made me lose my dinner. He was prepared and knew how horrible Indian coffee was, I was unaware...Love the food, hate the coffee. We also talked about what he was doing in Uganda, how he almost died trying to cross the border from Uganda to Kenya (to think of the things people do just for Indian food...), he showed pictures of his recent bungee jump over the Nile in Jinja, and he shared so many other stories. The food was delicious but the star that night was Cody. He was the most captivating story teller out of Texas I have ever met. He is the type of guy that just lives life and loves every second of it. He understands that life is so precious and he does not waste any moment.

I met Cody at a time in my life when I had almost forgotten about living. It was as though I had hit pause on everything. I was always a big dreamer growing up but through circumstances, I was allowing the world to crush me. I was in a spot of choosing the mundane of life instead of the gloriously inspired. It was just one evening, but it reminded me of the dreamer inside and I haven't looked back since. I aspire to be one like Cody, someone who reminds people of the dreamer inside them and encourages it.

I do not know if Cody and I will ever meet up again this side of Heaven, but he has impacted my life. I thank God for bringing people into my life who remind me what living is all about.