The Infinite Immensity of a Kind Gesture
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
Working in a school for 27 years tends to provide very strong psychic walls to keep the external world out. It is a planet unto itself. An adolescent ecosystem of sorts. It is good to be reminded that the world keeps on keeping on. When I was on Sabbatical twice during my Ph.D. work, it never ceased to strike me as interesting that most of the world wasn't in school. It is obvious but my own personal narrative leans so heavily to the school side of life. Some day I will not be in school anymore. The Karmic Wheel finally coming full circle and letting me get off.
Who would have known that I would spend most of my life in school....a high school no less. If the Ghost of Christmas Future had revealed this to me as a 17 year old, I would have shuddered in fear and loathing. Fortunately, I don't work at a pompous and preppy high school like the one I attended as a teen. My students' really are wonderful kids. Not entitled, indulged, and uppity.
Back to the Philippines...
The ability to travel across the world is not something humanity has been able to do until recently and it definitely caused me to be disoriented. I have always wondered if the "oriented" part of disoriented refers to Asia navigation by land or perhaps by ship. And getting off course was disorienting. Becoming sick on some bad food just added to the difficulties. Yet, I got through it and have a lot of stories to share. All in all it was really worth it to go. Pain will recede in my memory.
There is one memory that will stick with me for a long time....
I will always recall the Sunday morning after the wedding. A small gesture that revealed a whole lot to me. My Buddy and his Bride were at the Resort's front desk trying to reconcile the billing for the free room that was to have come with the wedding package. I had stayed in the room because my Buddy already had booked a room and his Bride stayed in the separate room that I was to occupy after their marital union. The front desk had attempted to bill me on Saturday night for it but we agreed to wait until Sunday before trying to sort it out with the newly married couple.
The Philippines this time of year is a sultry atmosphere. It is moist and hot. Not unbearable but it has the feel of just out of the shower type of vibe. I would break a sweat just walking half a block from the hotel to the 7-11 (7-11's are everywhere). First for beer before I was sick, and then for a lot of bottled water once the distress hit. So, the Groom was at the front desk perspiring a bit. It wasn't a contentious conversation and the matter seemed to resolve itself. He wasn't hot under the collar and agitated.
His Bride reached up an wiped the sweat of of his face with compassion in her eyes with a tissue. I thought to myself that this was a pretty good picture of what a marriage should be. The wiping of each others' brow in the face of the heat of life. I digressed in my head as to whether a U.S. bride would wipe her new husband's face. Would it be considered an act of submission and servitude...a dangerous pattern that would create ruts of care-giving soon to be regretted? I definitely think that such care-giving should go both ways but I was so happy to see her extend caring without calculation.
Blessings to you both on the road to come. Treat each other with compassion, for the road is hard. No need to make it harder.
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