Slaying Dragons in the Desert

Today I was prompted to update my LinkedIn profile with a background that had significance for me.  This Dragon in the Desert means so much to me for so many reasons.  

It is a reminder of my hometown, Vancouver, Canada.  I was privileged to grow up in an amazing time and place.  The suburb had mountains in our backyard for hiking and I enjoyed playing all kinds of sports (especially if they were free!)  The food and cultural exposures were amazing, and I was blessed not to be touched by racism until I turned 16.  My boyfriend at the time broke up with me because his family insisted that we were getting too old for him to date outside of his faith (Hinduism vs. my Christian upbringing).  A couple of weeks later, I found out that my best friend had a crush on a boy at Church.  When I encouraged her to ask him out, she told me she was not permitted to date someone who was not Asian.  

Every few years I get another similar such shock.  Some of these shocks have been more poignant than others.  Being manhandled out of a store in Paris because I was not Japanese, and therefore not likely well enough off to shop in the store was embarrassing.  The most recent, outrage: why protesters against violent crimes feel it is acceptable to rob and physically abuse someone as any form of protest.

Having thoughtfully reviewed this topic, I attribute much of my work ethic, as well as sense of justice and fair play to my incredible grandparents.  Love is timeless, no matter what your partner of choice looks like, don’t judge a book by the cover, and treat others how you would like to be treated, which goes hand in hand with do the right thing, even when no one is watching or will know what you did.

I am forever grateful for the lessons and memories of my grandparents, as well as my amazing husband, and my wonderful children, both the 2 legged and 4 legged ones.  #grateful