9:28, 9/28
AH YES!!!
Today is MY day. And do you want to know why?
This exact day, September 28th, one year ago, a girl sat on a chicken bus crossing the Panama border into Costa Rica. And what, may you ask, was this girl doing that was of any interest? An idea had come to her….an idea to give life as she knew it the big, yellow, feathery finger. An idea had come to her to take a flying WWF-style body slam from the virtual WWW to the real life WWW. She scribbled like mad *in those beautiful bullet points you are all so familiar with* into a journal all the steps that had to be taken to realize that plan. She then picked up her travel guide and read, from page to page, the chapters on Guatemala, Belize and Honduras. She read about the awe-inspiring and ancient ruins of Tikal in the jungles of Guatemala. She read of the Caribbean islands on the coast of Belize where one could swim with sharks and drink coconut coladas in ocean-front cabanas. And she read of a little island in Honduras where backpackers got lost for months in the underwater world of diving and the overwater world of international partying. She wrote out every reason why she shouldn´t take such a step, and then wrote a paragraph under each concern as to why each was complete bunk. Finally she sat back in her seat, sighed….and smiled.
It`s quite likely this teeters dangerously on the obnoxiously-cheesy totter, but my watch, for the past 9 months, has religiously chimed at 9:28 a.m and 9:28 p.m. every single day. It started off as a reminder to realize a dream, and became a reminder to appreciate a dream being realized. Last night I looked at my watch and realized what day had just turned. And then my mind turned…and turned…and turned. It spun all night — as I reflected and relived the last 12 months — and didn`t stop turning, until the first roosters woke and crowed me out of my living daydream. I´m walking on air today. My sickness has been trampled by an incredible natural high, and despite my lack of Z´s, it`s taking EVERY single ounce of my will power to stay seated in this internet cafe right now when I can hear the music, the dance floor, and another 9:28 calling my name….
Can`t resist any more. Must dance. I hope you hear the music too.
(At 9:28 this morning, I was tackling a five year-old with tickles trying to get him to stay seated in a chair while I combed lice out of his hair. One for the 9:28 hall of fame.)