Departure

Saturday morning arrived just an instant after the weight of a long Friday forced close my eyes and escorted my consciousness into a quiet, dreamless sleep.

A farewell family breakfast with mom and dad at a quaint little restaurant in Granby Connecticut filled my stomach as well as my bladder as I once again, driven by the irresistible force of habit, consume far more coffee than is advise able at the start of a day for any human being leading a ‘normal’ life, let alone one who is about to embark on a 26 hour flight to the far side of the world.

“Don’t worry…” I say to myself, in a meager attempt to calm my caffine charged, super overdriven nerves, that like to hide their apprehension under the veil of the Constant Bouncing Right Leg Exercise Program, (or C.B.R.L.E.P. for short), a calorie burning, fat eliminating, weight maintenance, workout technique that I am proud to say, is of my very own design. “…there are bathrooms on planes now.”

Upon hearing this gem of self-administered reassurance, a calm sweeps over most of my body. The exceptions being of course, the muscles and tendons of one right leg, deflected effortlessly by its Impenetrable State of Constant Motion, (or I.S.C.M. for short). I settle down at a cozy table in the corner of a café and pull out my choice of literary entertainment. A book, that when judged by it’s cover, is presumably a “how to” on smoking sharp beaker birds, that come equipped with their own ignition device, written by none other than one, T. Robbins.

There I sit, the rest of the while, sipping a cup of Green Mountain deliciousness, awaiting the magical phrase, “Group 4, now boarding…”

No Promises

...and I'm sure no surprise at the fact that I wrote not a word throughout the entire 2 1/2 months of the last contract or even the last month of this vacation. Each was full of many experiences. Many wonderful moments. Many tests and challenges. I'm not going to say I'll write more about each later. Maybe I will. Maybe I won't.

No surprise that I'm writing only now, on the eve of another departure. Contract Three. This one will be five months, which will be the longest to date. Being in love with someone you get to share the days with out there makes for a different experience all together. That safe place...a person to trust and talk to. It doesn't make the difficult times fly by as one would hope, always hoping for miracles. It does, however, make them bearable. Five months...and if things keep heading in the direction they are going in, it will only be in preparation for an eight month stay I may be looking at if we do another contract together.

The thing that interests me at the moment is how entirely ready I am to leave. I've packed just about everything. Some weight must be shifted from one bag to the other and some small personal items picked up and added to the weight, but other than that it's looking pretty good. I'm up, tired, sore, but with this feeling like there's "so much to do". I sat down to make a list of things left to do, and found that I had nothing to put on it.

Well, one month home. The longest in nearly 5 years. Time to go back to work.

(written a while ago)

November 2008