I’m sitting at Gate 410 about to board a plane to Dubai. There’s a pickle I never quite thought I’d find myself in. I hugged my lovely family and squeezed them very tightly before jaunting off into security, so the tears are dry and I’m now settling myself to get excited for the little adventure which I’ve anticipated for so long. When I was packing, I found a few wee words I’d written down – my room is full of wee words I’ve written down, if I’m not talking, I’m writing or finding some way to express my opinions, oh me – on 29th December, 2012. They go like this:
What is it about you
You far-off, distant land
That infiltrates my daydreams
And catches me off-hand
And causes me to sit up
And my eyes to open wide
If a passing stranger mentions you
And trips me in my stride?
I’ve thought about you months now
Without a notion how
But one day or another
I managed to allow
Images and notions
Related by some others
Who have already seen you
To hold my dreams and smother
But smother in a good way
I shall admit today
For while I can’t explain it
As those close to me dismay
About the dangers in you
And the scenes you’ll show to me
I wholly plan to embrace you soon
And pray you embrace me.
So that was that, then. And I just thought I’d share those little words here – probably to convince and reassure myself now that what’s happening right now is what I wanted. And my anxieties and sadness about leaving home will hopefully soon be balanced out by a wee sense that I asked for this. And I’m excited to see if South Africa is all I hoped it might be.
p.s THANK YOU all for making this little dream a big reality. I’ve literally been blown over backwards at the generosity and niceness of people – after only booking my flights a month ago, with NO fundraising done whatsoever, the money literally came and landed on my doorstep because of the goodness in a lot of people’s hearts. And that is lovely. And I’m hoping that’s a huge big nod from God that this is all as it should be. Love.
90 Days of South Africa 