the nepal connection - part 1

The question I hear the most is “Why Nepal?”

I imagine the idea of traveling to the other side of the planet on a 32-hour plane ride while navigating foreign languages and customs to manufacture a line of clothing, might lack appeal or appear off-putting to some.  But for me, flying to Nepal feels like going home.

How did Nepal become my home is a question with a remarkably convoluted answer.
 
In 1975 my parents and I were involved in a head-on car crash with a drunk driver, the results of which inexorably altered our lives. The good news - all of us survived without serious injury.  Nevertheless, it was a horrific crash, causing our VW camper-bus to roll over three times down an embankment. I was seated on my mother’s lap at the moment of impact. Inexplicably, our seat was ripped from the floor and ejected during the crash, but left the two of us untouched inside the cabin. My dad was thrown from the car entirely, but suffered only a bloodied nose. In retrospect, the crash was a defining event. Having survived an incident that onlookers agreed should have killed us, my parents reevaluated the direction life was taking them. From this reflection and introspection, they decided to dedicate their lives to a purpose beyond just getting by. It could have been simple good fortune or divine intervention, but in either case, my parents were left inspired to make a world. They didn’t have a particular purpose in mind, so they embarked upon a journey to find one. 
 
​At the time of the crash, my mother was running the family owned plant and flower shop while my father worked in the ski industry. They consolidated the insurance settlement with their savings account and profits derived from liquidation of the business. With financing in hand, they launched a year-long journey around the world.

The journey continues next week!