When You Meet a Hummer

Awhile back I wrote about Foods That HUM. If you met a hummer in that context it would be a food you chose that really spoke to you. A food that when you ate it you were satisfied. But what if you met a hummer and it isn’t food, or a car, or a small fast moving bird? What if you met a hummer but it’s an experience. An experience that goes right into you and without much thought you say YES. It HUMS. Let me tell you about my friend Lani.

Lani recently met a hummer. I first heard about it on a Thursday. We take a yoga class together. I like to place my mat next to hers as we don’t often see each other and this is a time to catch up before class starts. After hellos she told me she was on her way to Nepal with Habitat for Humanity. That in its self was wonderful and surprising news. Then she said it was because she read my blog on Foods That HUM. Now my curiosity was in full swing. How could ‘humming foods’ have anything to do with going to Nepal.

In Lani’s words this is how it happened…

One of my yoga students mentioned a Habitat for Humanity project in Pokhara, Nepal. This might sound like an exotic place to someone else that they might visit someday, but for me it is a place of memories.

When I was 15 my family lived in Nepal for two years. My father worked with USAID out of Albany, Oregon and he was hired to help improve the mining operations in Nepal. He traveled all over Nepal. I spent most of my time in boarding school in India but on vacations I would join my family in Nepal. On one vacation my mother, sisters, and I went to Pokhara.

Pokhara was so beautiful. I felt joyful and free. Free of school and home constrictions. We went on long walks everyday and bought local produce to munch on. I had the best oranges I have ever tasted in my entire life. I recall my mother as so adventurous. She made us three course meals on a little one burner hot plate type of thing. It was incredible the way she made such fabulous, tasty meals with so little to work with. I don’t know where she got the food, or how she figured it out. I only remember it was delicious. It was a wonderful vacation.

When I heard my student say Pokhara the memories flashed. I wanted to be there again. I imagined standing in the spot where my father took pictures of Fewa lake with Machapuchare in the background. I felt such a leap of heart and excitement to even think about it. I went right home and looked it up and applied. I didn’t think “this is HUMMING”, it was just that the feeling was so right. Then I remembered the HUM of food and it seemed like the same idea. This was what I wanted to do. Nothing else would be as good.

I think the knowing lies in my heart. There was a zing in my heart when she said Pokhara and the belief that this could happen. I don’t really know how I will do this at this point, I’m just going with it. I’ve always wanted to do a HFHumanity project. It would be more practical to do in Portland. but it doesn’t HUM like Pokhara. This is a different kind of adventure. I do admit that every now and then I get a little freaked out and worry about all kinds of things. Then I just bring myself back to that HUMMING feeling… and I am off in excitement again.

This is Lani’s story about when she met a hummer. What’s yours? Leave a comment and share what hums for you.