And Now For Something Completely Different...

The 22 days that I spent in Africa with the remarkable group of people, is slowly digesting in my mind. It was a fast pace and we got much done in the time we were there. But all my senses were tested and all my emotions were going full out and I am truly exhausted. I think we all are. It will be a week tomorrow that I got home and I have yet to feel the total impact of its affect on me and suspect that it will take some time to go over in my mind all that I experienced.

It was an experience of a life time and if I were told that I could live my life a million times over and could take out or keep parts of my life story I know I would choose a million times this remarkable encounter with Kenya and its people.

I am taking a bit of a rest from writing about it for the time being. I’m trying to catch up on sleep, time differences, group withdrawal and having to get back into “work” mode. Not to mention climate change. The temperature here is dropping like a stone and I’m not sure I’m prepared for snow and –20C .

I will however write briefly about something rather comical.

Each year a friend of mine from high school and I write an email just to see how the other is. I have known Wayne since 1968. We lost contact for a while but email reunited us. I had a brief crush on Wayne, brief to be sure. But we always maintained a friendship. Wayne is happily married with three children and living in Ontario.

Apparently this summer some of the fellows we went to high school with got together for a golf tournament. There were about 18 of them. Wayne sent me a photo that was taken of the guys.

Now I went to high school in a small town just outside of Toronto. Everybody pretty much knew everybody. It was the kind of town that if you went downtown, by the time you got back home, your mother knew where you had stopped, how long you stopped and all the people you spoke to along the way. So, I pretty much knew all these guys growing up. One of them I even dated throughout most of high school and into univeristy. I am sorry to say that I only recognized a few. I was actually shocked, you see I had to ask Wayne if he could send me a list of who was who. I was shocked because these men all looked so old. They weren’t the faces that I remembered from 35+ years ago. I had to remind myself they were old!!! I mean we are getting up there. Last time I saw most of these fellows they had svelte bodies and a full head of hair! I mean they really looked old!

Ok Sandy, get over it.

I promptly went to the mirror. I don’t think I look that old. Do I look that old? I came to the conclusion that women age far more gracefully than men. Men get pudgy and balding and just bigger or at least most of these guys had. There was only one man in the group that I truly recognized that had a very well kept body and looked, well he looked young… ok younger than… than what? Younger than the rest of those old looking guys!

Ok I’m over it. Really!

That’s all I’m going to say about that.

I think I’m going to go do some sit-ups.

How about another African picture?

This photo is of a young boy from the orphanage at Kimchimchim. I am sure I left a piece of my heart there. This beautiful child had the most incredible smile and the sweetiest voice and his eyes were penetrating. You might say he was an angel.

I know I thought he was.