My sister arrived yesterday, and while I'm thrilled to have her here, I feel sad that I'm battling such a nasty cold at the start of her visit. I'd like to show her around Goes or Middelburg, but I can't speak, which also rules out the lecture I was supposed to give today to local journalism students.
My job as mother is also being tested. Lukas is using his toothbrush to clean furniture right now, and I don't have enough voice, or stamina, left to object. He's also just dumped clothes out of the clothes basket, climbed up to the sink and played with the running water for a while, etc, etc.
And yet, all the signs this morning are pointing at:
Shut up, count your blessings, and enjoy your life.
-The email from a friend, saying her mother has just passed away.
-The forward from another friend, containing the Randy Pausch video from Oprah.
-The website I just came across, showing the Weinshenker family battling cancer. The cancer is so aggressive, that they had to terminate a pregnancy last January. But they're survivors, and they seem like truly incredible people.
How did I happen upon their site? A quote from one of my all-time favorite travel writers that was hidden amidst their Blog Entries & Comments. It's by Kira Salak, and it reads:
The desert has its own soul. And it isn’t insignificance that I feel in the face of this, but the aching candor of being alive. These great dunes around me–carved and shaped by the wind, baked by the sun–were once stone. And if mountains can dissolve, then what of me–so much more fragile, so much softer, so quick to bleed and easy to destroy. Maybe it’s heady reflection, but I think it, lying in the sand and gazing at this world: the marvel that I am here. Such an ecstasy of wonder and gratitude. I am here, I am here!
This blog is still very much travel-focused, but sometimes the journey lies within. We will, however, be making a 700 km road trip down to Franconia, Germany, tomorrow - so if it's traditional travel that you're longing for, stay tuned for more adventures. Until then, take a bit of advice from the Weinshenkers, and
"Love. Life. Forever."
1 comment:
You've become quite the writer...Good on you.
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