You Are Very Strong Madam...
We are aboard flight BA 10 to London; just!
‘We better make our way to the gate’, I had said to Anadi as were we relaxing drinking coffee… Twenty minutes later we were still walking. As we reached the end of a very long corridor, a BA lady was standing with a notice saying ‘Final Call for London’. She directed us to hurry along another corridor, which we raced along arriving at the gate - the red final call sign flashing - with a minute to spare…
We were collected this morning from The Davis Hotel by our friendly taxi driver Mr Kumron, who had dropped us off here on Thursday; he was sitting outside the hotel on a bench in the sun, relaxing with his eyes closed in a meditative state…He sprung into action as I greeted him….
‘Have you eaten breakfast madam’ he asked me as we drove off, ‘no’ I replied ‘We chose to run rather than eat…’ He understood this; as an ex Thai boxer, he knows a thing or two about hard training! He still runs every day…
As we sped to the airport he showed us where he parks his car to go running; ‘sometimes I run in the morning and sometimes in the evening time’ he told us ‘Sometimes I run in the morning and the evening…’ I replied, ‘strong madam, you are very strong madam…’
We have been talking as we fly with a lady in the seat next to Anadi who has been in Bangkok for a week on a conference… She works for an organization teaching literacy in Africa and Asia and she is particularly involved with special needs education… I was aware as we talked that her work in Africa with children with special needs; educating the other children and the adults too in a model of inclusivity accessed in me an ‘I think I’d enjoy doing that’ feeling…
I am always intrigued as to what speaks to us; what sparks our curiosity, what we are drawn to… I am interested in how much is it our souls calling to express itself; and how much is a part of us still needing to ‘work something out', to answer our own special needs within…
As we checked our luggage in, I waited with baited breath to see how light I have managed to get my suitcase – 14.8 kilos! - I have shed more and more as we have travelled… This means I now have 5 kilos to ‘play with’!
This is a good thing – because I have lots of extra ‘things to pack’ waiting for me in the good care of Amy at the moment… New running shoes, vasylli insoles, kinesio tape and lots of supplements…!
I have ordered Fish oils and magnesium from Matt Shore and he has raced around Eastbourne finding me good quality calcium too… And super food!
So in my hand baggage is my computer, ipad, kindle, phone and ‘note books’ for my dreams, ideas and ‘things to do list’ - and my suitcase, everything else that I own in the world, will carry the ‘essentials’ of my life… Running shoes, supplements to support the running, AST trainer to create my own gym wherever I go… and the minimum of clothes… This said, I think it is fortunate we are only in the UK for three days, the lady sitting next to Anadi has told us it is snowing… Julia may not leave the building! Julia may ‘go running’ indoors for the next 3 days…
Later...
It is now 12.30pm UK time; we have been flying for seven and a half hours and have five to go…
I have had fun, I have made new friends at the back of the plane. I was stretching in the aisle and Mary one of the air crew suggested I go to the back ‘There is more room there’ she said…
I met John and Arran and we are now firm friends. We have laughed a lot and shared stories and ideas and laughed so hard, that at one point I looked down the plane to check we were not disturbing fellow passengers with our jollity ‘no one seems to be sleeping’ I said; and then I looked at the cabine crew nearby who also seemed happy with our hilarity…’ I am just looking around to check we aren’t going to “get into trouble” and be told to shush…’ and Arran said ‘yes, we don’t want to be put on the naughty step…’
John wants me to write a book; I told him that ‘girlfriend for a year’ is coming out soon; but he has requested another about my life and my work… He said that he had never in his whole life met someone like me; and Arren said ‘yes, you have blown my mind; you are ace’.
‘I am me’ I said – and we laughed some more…
And then John said…
'The only thing I will miss in your book is your laughter Julia...'
