In Houston, in a room that is adorned by sunlight bowing in appreciation through the window, Pippin periodically four footing it in to announce something important in the dog world, Carol blowing dust from the 1500 piece puzzle that we have started and the time and space to sit and allow all the thoughts and wishes to surface, to find blog space, to be whisked around in my belly by all the ready to digest juices.
And once again, folks that, above was a long sentence belonging to the tribe of words that will have their way to out and be spoken. So, the thoughts and wishes that I had about blogging - to write about all the people that I have met in the last few days that I wanted to write about. To write down a calender of places that we have been and the people we met there. Such a list sits right now in a crumpled napkin from Something Different, the Teriyaki Bowl restaurant that we went to in Portales, and partially in the trusty red notebook that also holds important things like money accounts, phone numbers and the miles we have covered in this trip.
Invariably what comes up is, "But why is that important? Why would anyone like to know all this? Why am I blogging this trip? What difference would it make to the life of the person that I write about? And what kind of vanity and pride is this that enjoys putting out the words and inviting ... no not inviting... exhorting people to read them and then feels a nice plump satisfaction when there are comments - for example Alex's on the last post - and responses"
Well, I'm expressing these little thoughts as I still think of the title. And just to let everyone know that while the title may take long coming, I have no difficulty talking here about the fantasticness of this whole trip in all its stages, rests, people stops, pitstops and laundry stops.
On 4 November 2010, in Nancy and Cary's house. Nancy is Carol's sister. I have heard about her over the years. Hearing about what she does, where she lives, who her children and husband are, why she likes and does not like to do different things is one experience and meeting her, sitting in her kitchen, eating her chili at 9.30 pm and laughing like a loud hyena held at gunpoint at all the jokes that Nancy and Cary cracked, is another thing. There is a comfort in knowing her and not knowing her at all.
Then there is the other aspect of sibling relationships that is a feature of this trip. Alok and Rahul - my brothers - and their families have lived in the US for years/decades. This is the first time I am visiting them. And though I have 'known' them forever, and met them hundreds of times since they have been in America, on their visits to India, in many ways meeting them in their homes has been as fresh as meeting Nancy. Looking at the perspective of being away from 'home' - Carol has been away from home in Africa, Pakistan, India. Rahul, Alok have been away from home in America. Each one of us is 'at home' where we are. The boundaries of country, land, house all telescopically zoom in to being at home in ourselves, our lives. And here I am, at home in my body and being, drinking great coffee and blogging. I could b e anywhere in the modern internet supported world!
Still thinking of title.
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