A nine hour flight aboard South African Airways 227, nine
time zones away from home. It is 9 PM
Buenos Aires time. Upon landing we will
have spent 19 days on the road. Flying east,
into the night, we are on the longest leg of the journey so far. From Argentina over the Atlantic to Africa in
one giant leap. What a leap. It seems impossible. From one continent to another, both very
different from my own.
It still feels surreal; stepping out of a dream world and
into a real world of realized dreams.
Before my eyes the dreams, like rivers, born long ago in far off springs,
spill into an ocean of memories. And these
moments fill and form my life, moments packed with glimpses, smiles, words, looks
that give it meaning. Truly meaningful
moments have defined these past days. I
struggle to somehow keep them from merging with nearly 60 years of yesterdays. Life seems too limited to hold them all. I fear the lessons will be forgotten, the
beauty will fade and that time and human frailty will erase the significance.
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Bob...your post is poetic in the best sense, especially the second paragraph. In the first paragraph you say "Flying east, into the night..." and remind me of the great book by Beryl Markham, WEST WITH THE NIGHT. Have you read it? She was a Brit who moved to Africa...a pilot...a writer. I think the movie "Out of Africa" was based on her life.
ReplyDeleteDon't fret...the things you really need to remember from this trip you will never forget!