Of course we all realize the pain of separation is momentary and actually serves the higher purpose of enhancing our next encounter .. but the immediate pain is real, and "until we meet again" is the heartbroken refrain of departure we should never suffer to experience. This is the pain I felt while standing outside my hotel at Charles de Gaulle airport, on a beautiful summer evening, at the end of my most recent visit to France.
The photograph above is sadness and loneliness epitomized. Void of any friend's face or any hope for a "great day" tomorrow .. that stark scene says it all. Three o'clock in the morning and silent, except for the occasional roar of jet engines .. a not so subtle reminder that I fly away in just hours.
My thoughts are mine ... and I know you have your thoughts when this situation appears. It smothers us like a black cloud and envelopes every memory of happiness, frivolity, and joy cherished from the past weeks or months in this place we adore .. this place we cannot bear leaving in the early morning. There seems to be no remedy .. nothing to save us from the overwhelming fog of despair. We are mentally severed, like a small child being pulled away screaming from his favorite pastime before he is completely "filled" by the experience.
Oh my, look what I've done! I've managed to paint a negatively poignant picture, void of any hope or preview of positivity to come.
I love you, Travelers. You are the future of mankind .. spreading the truth of humanity far and wide .. cultivating the hearts of men, women, and children the world over. You realize the importance and obligation of worldwide interaction .. and I'm certain deep within your souls is implanted the intense fire of hope. I'm also certain anyone who questions the expenditure of your last resource on a plane ticket, or the decision to take off on a whim when your heart says "Go" is most assuredly going to hear a laughingly, lovingly stated ...
from Kauai to Paris ... and all places between
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Happy Trails et Bon Voyage,
Bill