"You can't start a charity off of charity." - My dad

My dad's candid response to my dreamy monologue of how I wanted to start a self-supporting school in Bangledesh.

It was okay; I wasn't crushed.  It was just a little dose of reality and a reminder to take a step back from huge ideas and start with step one.

Sadly, I realized step one was a very, very teeny step, and despite what I thought were "good credentials," the current economic situation and my late start in the game, even that little step was barely toeing the line.

I'm going to keep thinking of huge ideas, of feats I can accomplish twenty years from now (even though I don't know where I would be then).  Maybe someone else will take these ideas off my hands and do it him/herself.  Maybe just my thinking about this and writing about this will cause someone else to do something totally different.  I don't mind being a catalyst.

Maybe nothing will come of all of this.  Maybe this will all be a nice, but futile writing exercise.  (Maybe right now I'm feeling incredibly doubtful and am thinking I need to gain more experiences and work under my belt until I apply for schools because my mind is whirring because starbucks is playing "LA Woman" by the Doors and the music is messing with my already slightly feverish mind!!!!!!!!!!!)

We'll see.

As for now, I'll be recording my steps, ideal future steps, (possibly many) stumbles, and you know, those rare occasions of success.