Purely Random

Have you ever experienced a "perfect moment"? You know the ones: you are so completely in the present, no thought about what is to come, what you need to do, where you need to be. Just living in the now? I am always so anxious, needing to do this and that, getting it out of the way so I can, do whatever. I am always trying to get through whatever it is I am doing (that I have to do) to get to what I really want to be doing. I spend most of my time "wishing my life away." Lately, I have been focused on getting the painting, wallpapering, cleaning of the house out of the way so I can get back to sewing. And for some reason, a certain "perfect Moment" has stuck in my brain.

It was last September, while I was in China. I had been in our Ningbo office for 2 days. I was the only non-Chinese for miles around. To get back from the manufacturing district into the city, I road with the people from the office in their little van. Like most companies, our office picks up the workers near their homes, drives them to work and back home in the evening. The van was an older van with basic seats, no luxury, no air conditioning, no radio. It was quite hot and humid, we had it full, I was against the window in the middle seat. Yng and Grace were in the front seat, Raymond and I were in the middle, with Sophie, Sandy and Amanda (their English names) in the rear seat. Everyone was chatting in their native languge. I could not understand a word, but I knew it was the normal conversations people have with their friends. At one point, we were in a line of traffic, other vans and buses of people going home from work. I looked up and saw myself in the rear-view mirror. I was grinning like a possum! There I was, half a world from home. A stranger in a strange land. And it was great!

I had always dreamed of traveling far from home, but really never saw it happening. But in the span of 3 years I went to Europe, Mexico (twice) and China. I have been to New York once a month for a year. Also traveled to Chicago, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Miami, Bangor and Guilford Maine, Grand Rapids and Muscatine, Iowa. I have seen the pyramids in Chichen Itza, the magnificent Grand Canyon, the Empire State Building and snow on the Rocky Mountains in July! I have put my feet in the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean, all in the same year. And I have been really happy to get back into my bed at the end of a trip.

So what is this all about? Purely random. Just being very grateful for the opportunities I have had. I have met some really nice people and eaten some awesome food. I have been in the moment.