rewinding the week, part 1

photo courtesy of my mom... yep... she took this in real life.

The conversation began after seeing my Mom's newly decorated guest room and bathroom... appropriately called the Africa Room. We were the last ones to see it, due to my ER visit a few weeks ago, and although she was thrilled that she was finally going to share it with me, I was the last person... and there would be no one else new to ooo and ahhh over it. Really... it is beautiful. Breathtaking. Earthy paint, dark floors, and poster-sized photographs that started as vacation photos, and so many little touches that are just... my Mom. After lunch, sitting and talking... enjoying time, she turned to me and asked When the time comes that we could book a trip to Africa, would you be able to take the time off from work.... schedule it around summer activities? I didn't think too much of it... because we were barely to the half-way point in the five year plan, and to me, Africa was a someday kind of thing. Quietly, she whispered that she was hoping to go in the summer. My smile was wide... and my heart skipped a beat... maybe two. Wow.

Traveling home that evening, I felt overcome by a sense of disappointment. Africa? Already? But then what will I look forward to?
I had placed the adventure so far out of my reach that the possibility was too much, too soon, I guess. I should have just been thrilled. I was ashamed at my feelings... and I shoved the thoughts aside with a fair amount of guilt. Heading towards home, still mulling it all over, I realized how quickly time flies. And how many summers remained between now and college. And a smile rushed across my face once again. Next summer would be really wonderful.