Such promises are not new to me ... that nice couple we met in Puerto Vallarta that we seemed to have so much in common with; the wild professor I connected with on our excursion to the Mayan ruins with whom I exchanged mailing addresses; the list goes on. Sad farewells and heartfelt promises to write soon, stay in touch, call when in town. Crumpled little shred of paper scooped out of the washing machine with faded ink numbers. Good intentions giving way to busy schedules and resumption of daily life. Broken promises.
But not the case with the kindred spirits I met on our Kenya trip a couple of years ago. We've kept up with one anothers' lives since our shared experience - reuniting a few months after and now again - two years later. Megz is flying in from Arizona for We Day and Kidlet and I will have some face to face time with her.
We first met in a bathroom in the Nairobi airport when she approached me and asked me if I was Lyn. She caught me off guard and I replied that yes, I was indeed her... and how did she know my name. She confessed that she recognized Kidlet from my blog! And after I learned that she too had just turned 50, it cemented the easy friendship; and when we discovered we were assigned cottage-mates - the deal was done!
Our Masai warrior friends Jackson and Wilson have arrived in Canada so we are hoping to meet up with them once again, along with a few of our other travel mates, bound forever by what we shared collectively.
When I first contemplated making the trek to Kenya, I knew that if I could summon the courage to step outside my comfort cube, that the pay-offs would be phenomenal. However I never could have imagined just how profound and lasting the experience would be for me - and Kidlet. Life changing.
And so I am in ready mode -- sweeping away old cobwebs, dusting off the vacuum, reacquainting myself with my steam mop, making up the guest room and tossing out fermented bio-things that are living in my fridge. Next stop: wine store and grocery shopping. I am as excited as a kid on Christmas morning to be reunited with my travel pals. Can you tell??
PS - Jackson and Wilson just released their first book, The Last Maasai Warriors.
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| Cabin mates at Bogani cottages on the Mara |
that's fantastic lyn, all the best for meeting up with your friends. it's really special to keep these connections, when possible! i have to look for that book!
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