Thoughts

I'm feeling a bit melancholy today. Not really sad, but I guess a bit wistful. To state the obvious, I miss Peleke. And I miss Gazza with her beard and mohawk. But today I find myself missing Seattle quite a bit too. This is the most exciting time of year there, and I miss the city, the friends, and... the Paperboys playing at the Tractor Tavern. It's the little things I guess. I'll refrain from waxing poetic about it all, but I've been missing it more than usual. Each city I've been in has gotten under my skin in a different way. Certain times of year, celebrations, and things remind me of a particular place... and how nomadic I am.

Another round of crew left this evening. I haven't yet had to say goodbye to anybody I've gotten too close with yet, but I know the day is coming. Seeing the tears of parting friends as the jeeps depart to the airport every few days is a constant reminder of the fleeting time we have here. We come from all over the world; realistically we won't be seeing most of these people ever again. Long term crew here is noted for being a little distanced from short term. It's not a hard and fast rule and certainly isn't an insurmountable barrier, but I do sense it sometimes too. I can understand why.

At the same time, some of my friends are having birthdays this week. The celebrations are usually in the form of cakes made in the crew galley, dinners out, and movie marathons. I don't suppose it's all that different from home. One of the girls is getting a massage and pedicure. In West Africa. It's well deserved to be sure, just a funny juxtaposition. There is no lack of reasons to celebrate here. In the end, we're here. We raised the funds, got the time off, have the support of family and friends, and then took the leap of faith. We're living on a floating hospital off the coast of West Africa bringing hope and healing in the name of God. There are always new and fun experiences to jump into. It's easy to fall into conversations that last for hours and cover more meaningful topics than you would normally broach in a year.

In this pressure cooker of a ship, the highs and lows just seem a little more poignant.