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THE LEVEL UP LETTER

Hi All!
Here is your weekly Level Up Letter. For those of you in the US we hope you had an amazing Thanksgiving yesterday, and for all of you, we hope you’re getting meaningful time in with your loved ones. Taking the opportunity in this letter to share a personal story of gratitude with you all and perhaps a chance for some personal reflection. We hope you enjoy this week’s letter and remember to click on our sponsor to help support us.
With Gratitude for you all,

Andy & Jason

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK

A TRAIN RIDE IN SRI LANKA

⁣I was solo traveling in Sri Lanka for a couple of weeks. I wanted to see as much as possible and was bouncing around the country. I was told that the train from Kandy (the capital) to Ella (the tea fields) was not to be missed. So, New Years morning, I bought my second class ticket and off I went.

The second class seats filled up quickly. I was standing on the transition between second and third class and enjoying seeing the open view between the train cars. The first part of the ride we had multiple stops for commuters getting on and off. Towards the end of that stretch a seat at a table in third class opened up and this group invited me to sit with them.

It was two moms and their daughters. They had been in the capital for a dance performance and were heading back home. The moms only spoke Sinhala and the girls spoke a tiny bit of English but here we were, cozied into the train, enjoying the ride together.

The girls immediately started giggling to themselves and making faces at me. I happily joined in. They proceeded to teach me Sinhala words for nose, mouth, ears, eyes. Now their young cousins nearby wanted to join in and started teaching me to count. I in return was teaching them in English.

We were having a blast but also realized the train was moving, very, very slowly and would have these jolting moments every now and then. Something came over the loudspeaker and everyone tried to explain to me that the train was broken, so we were just going to go slower. What was supposed to be 6-7hrs was now going to be more like 12. Nobody got upset. Nobody screamed for the manager. This stuff just happens and you move on.

The girls at this point wanted to teach me one of their songs and dance routines. So here’s this honky, trying to sing in a foreign language and do intricate dance moves, on a slow moving, broken train in the middle of nowhere….and the entire train car was dying. We had everyone singing, clapping and laughing……mostly at my expense but I was happy to do it.

It was getting late and the moms brought down their packs. They pulled out these incredible rice and curry meals wrapped in banana leaves and another one full of Sri Lankan patties. All of them, especially the moms, motioned for me to join in and share all the food. I didn’t want to take away from their meal and tried to tell them I was ok but they wouldn’t take no for an answer. So I dove in. The girls made fun of me and we all enjoyed. I remembered I had a couple packs of Tim Tams in my bag and pulled them out for us to share as dessert.

I know this sounds simple but they live in a village where they don’t have floors in their homes. There is no running water. They walk to fill up jugs at the town well. I know I had more cash in my backpack than they would make all year and here they were, making sure I was taken care of.

It was an experience I’ll never forget. It was the true essence of being human. Being together, laughing, sharing your culture and making sure everyone at the table is taken care of. So I hope that today, post-Thanksgiving, you spend some time to cherish the meals you’ve had, the experiences you’ve shared, your running water, your electricity and the people around you call family. Sometimes the train breaks and you have to go slower. I hope you make the most of it.

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