Tuesday, 1 September 2015

It's a small world after all

I've had a few moments of small worlds lately. I have a follower here who's name didn't register as it might have. Then I got the loveliest email from Les. Touching base after way too many years, too many to mention really. Les and his lovely wife Annette lived at the beach on the Coromandel that was my soul place. The most beautiful beach in the world, even after all my travels it's tough to beat.

Les drove us unruly teenagers to school on a little mini bus through scorching heat when we all would rather have been at the beach; through storms that closed the roads during storm season; through those days when the road was metal and rutted, not like the highway it is today. He knew all of us well, I babysat their kids in that lovely A-frame wooden house on the corner.

There are stories of those long journeys to school and back, journeys that were the first hour plus of my days back then. It was a long way to school, it was a culture shock heading from the small school to high school in the small town an hour plus away.  I did lots of reading on those buses, scenery only holds interest so long with the daily commute when you're high school age.

There was the time that one of the younger girls bit into her egg and there were guests there. I'm shuddering just thinking about it. It's a story I tell when people are eating boiled eggs. There were times when we couldn't get to school because of the slips on the road ahead, barely getting home through the slippery rain. There were the times the surf was up, the beach too tempting. The smell and taste of the little red guavas on the the side of the road.

It's funny, I'm not one to go back there. I tend to live more in the now enjoying each day as it comes and saying yes to opportunities and adventures. It wasn't the easiest of times for so many reasons and tonight's email from Les took me back some years. In a good way. His words brought to mind this from Jim Carrey. Les and Annette are following their dreams, exploring their beautiful country in their retirement.


















And here's one of my beautiful place taken by Judy Drok Photography. There are plenty more on her website.


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