You might not think that Dushanbe, Tajikistan, and Boulder, Colorado, have much in common, but the two locations are designated as Sister Cities. The sites were chosen because they are both mountainous locales located on the 40th parallel.
When tensions were high between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R.*, some Boulder residents decided to follow President Eisenhower’s advice and “create peace through a people’s exchange.” After a decade of cultivating the relationship, the people of Dushanbe shipped an authentic teahouse to Boulder, where it now operates as a tearoom and cultural center.
The teahouse was shipped to the U.S. in crates, then built by Tajikistan craftsmen and Boulder carpenters. It came in sections and unassembled — I think an apt metaphor for how relationships are formed.
Follow this example and try to lead your life creating peace through people — one piece at a time.
(*In 1987, when the relationship began, Tajikistan was part of the U.S.S.R. but is now an independent nation.)
