100 years ago ...

I wake up each morning (early) and as soon as I have them all out the door, I RUSH to the computer.  I eagerly anticipate what new messages might be in the inbox.  If the "from" box looks all crazy and unreadable, I go there first. 

What? 

Daily I get messages from people in China.  Daily I am receiving questions to answer and answers to my questions.  It's a daily dialogue halfway across the world.  And if I get to the emails IMMEDIATELY, the people on the other side of the world will have a chance to read and shoot me an email back before they must head to bed.  Then I spend the day answering the questions and thinking of new things to ask them. 

I was pondering my female counterparts just 100 years ago.  Think about it.  1909.  There was no internet.  There was not a way to pick up a cordless phone and call China.  There was no way for her to jump on a plane to get there.  And yet here I am 100 years later and it's not even a big deal to me that I chat daily with people on the other side of the world.  I don't find it strange that I'm becoming very good friends with people who speak no English (and I speak no Chinese). 

In 11 days, I'll be hopping on a plane (OK 2 planes) and less than 24 hours later, I'll be sitting in a hotel in Beijing. Then I'll use Skype to call back to my kids and see them and talk to them.  Isn't that marvelous?  And I can pick up a cordless phone and speak to them too. 

And I'm doing all this ... why?? 

When you were little, did your parents ever say to you, "Eat all your vegetables.  Do you know there are children starving in China?"  Well mine did ... it was about peas.  Hated those little suckers!  I was like, "So ship them to THEM!"  And now I have the opportunity to make sure at least a few of those little ones go to bed with full tummies.

And now you know why I rush every morning to open my emails.  There are babies on the other side of the world.