Once again, she has landed. Feet, almost firmly placed on the floor under the table she sits at. It is decorated with a Guatemalan table cloth, rich with wild bright colours ranging from pulsating plum to orgasmic orange. To her right, a column of dangling Indian elephants with a bell at the bottom that gives off a sound much like the bells worn by the cows she had seen and met in India. Next to that, a picture frame which is filled with memories from her adventures with her fiancé. A fiancé who is overseas enjoying his own adventure: a life away from the rat race. A Tamil 'Om' sticker on the window to the left, golden in the Cornish winter sunlight is a reminder of her own journey to discover and experience. An easy wipe kitchen cover with map of the world is used by the cat as a place to sit as she stares out of the window and watches as the seagulls attempt to dive bomb exposed bin bags. Behind her, a series of postcards bought with love but never sent. A reminder of the people that fill her heart with joy and how she must do all she can to show them they are treasured. Pictures on the front of Koalas, kangaroos, stunning sun sets and sea life. Australia is the place she had just returned from. And now, after a year dotting herself around the planet, she finds herself, once again, in her little white shed at the top of a hill in her little Cornish town. She looks up and reminisces with a smile. On the wall in front of her: a black and white picture of her and her very good friend Carmel from years back on a back packing holiday in France- memories of a care-free existence where fun was the main objective. Their first time away together. Bags, well over 20kg weighed them down, two budget tents and a twinkle in their eyes. They were just beginning a life of their own. From school, to college, to university to here. This is where they found themselves unknowing of what the world truly had to offer them. This is where life began: the first steps of exploration.
Four years on from then and the girls - now women holding on to their childhood, met again in Australia and warmed themselves in the flame that has been keeping their friendship going for so long. Fun and enjoyment in discovering their connection again was the focus. There were more stories to share, more lessons that had been learnt, a better understanding of the world around them and themselves and a yearning to do more, see more, learn more, be more. Who knows where these two will find each other in years to come, who they will be, what they will love. What is known, is that when they do, they will dance in the same flame and keep each other warm until the next encounter
A life is ahead of them that will weave its way over this beautiful planet. A life where they are not restricted by anything at all but instead embrace the opportunities that are given to them: chances to learn, love, develop, grow.
How lucky they are.
To my beautiful C. Thank you for being a constant shining star and taking up residence in my heart box. Here's to our future adventures.
