So as much as I try to disconnect I still get daily updates from the states. I know that traveling with kids especially those who aren’t mine comes with a great deal of responsibility and sometimes with criticism from others who say that I am crazy to come to Guatemala, and even crazier for taking kids who don’t belong to me.  I’ve been entrusted with the most precious of cargo and I take that responsibility very seriously.

While the news portrays much of Central America as a collection of violent countries, the news as we’ve learned, often times gets it wrong.  I am not saying that there isn’t a great deal of political discourse here,  nor am I saying that this place is immune to violence or evil.  What I am saying is that life and anywhere it takes you comes with risk.  While my morning news out of Antigua reports car accidents or road work, my morning news from the states is a stark contrast of mass shootings,  kidnappings,  serial killings,  racism, restricting of human rights…. and the list goes on.  I am by no means downplaying what is happening around Guatemala, I simply am bringing to light that danger and risk is all relevant and exist everywhere.  If we shy away from experiences out of fear we will miss out on so much in life.  Here I tell the kids that we don’t have rules but rather we make smart choices.  For instance I don’t have a rule about not having phones out when we walk… but rather we make smart choices and put our phones away when we walk the city to reduce any possibility of exposing ourselves to a threat. We make smart choices and never go anywhere alone.  We make smart choices and always have a plan.  We do things that keep us as safe as possible while allowing us still to experience life.