One of my oldest and dearest friends, Deb McGuire, whom I met while working in Iqaluit, Nunavut, in the early 1990s, sent me this homemade postcard with a quote from French writer André Gide. Up until now, I hadn't been thinking of the shoreline I'm leaving behind, just the adventurous new lands. With only two days to departure and just a few loose ends to wrap up, I'm now thinking mostly of Daisy and Maggie who will turn seven while I'm away. I'll miss them like crazy. But my brain is addled with dust and repetitive strain. Motherwriters need stimulation, a blank slate and the sound of unfamiliar voices. Plus, my daughters need to know that moms are more than just moms. That life is hard sometimes but nowhere near as hard as what most people live every day. That the world is big and strange, until you discover it for yourself. And that people everywhere deserve a safe, decent life. Makes me think of one of my favourite Dylan songs: Fat man lookin' in a blade of steel/Thin man lookin' at his last meal/Hollow man lookin' in a cottonfield/For dignity.
Anyway, look how happy I'll be in Tanzania! (courtesy of Maggie, 6) No dengue fever! No malaria! No E.coli in the ole' pipes! Put a pencil in my hand and point me down the road.
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