I'm having coffee with a friend.
A latte for me, a croissant for her. My cat sits in a carrier on my lap, her dog at her feet. It feels strange to be there. Covid and lockdown are words still fresh on our lips, but outdoor dinning is permitted.
Conversation with her is easy. Time flies. Before I know it, an hour has flown by and it's time to leave. I walk her to her car, hug her and say good-bye. My steps are light as I head down the street to where I parked.
I reach the driver's door and slide the cat backpack off my back. Before I get a chance to unlock the doors, I hear a voice from behind - commenting on my cat and the carrier.
I look up and over my shoulders. There's another car parked behind me, a man standing next to it. He looks friendly enough.
He's not the first person to comment on my cat while I'm out and about. I'm use to it by now. If I'm not in a rush, I try to make a point to exchange a word or two. Lockdown and isolation have made people hungry for human connection, much more than usual. I don't blame them. Loneliness is a hard pill to swallow.
We make small talk.
After a few back and forth like ping-pong, I prepare to exit. But before I can excuse myself, he says something that stops me dead in my tracks.
My heart starts to race.
My veins are pumping out cortisol like there's no tomorrow.
The man is saying something about the border land crossing. Between the North and the South. He's asking me if I can do him a favor. A friend of his left a package in a locker close to the border. Would I cross over to the North and retrieve the package for him.
ENTRAPMENT ???!!!
Seriously ???????????!!!!!!!!!! And WHY ???? Because I choose to share my story with others as an outlet, instead of creating weapons of mass affliction and breathing more despair into the world ???????????
Back at the scene, I notice something strange.
His car. The brand logo is unrecognizable. So is the car color. It's hard to describe. A dark shade of some sort.
Something about the man is off too.
If I was to describe the car and the man to the police, it would have been impossible to pinpoint.
In the end, what gave him away was his eyes.
When I declined to "help" - I advised him (Out of habit !! It's in my DNA !! Facepalm x10) to skim the news for the latest border updates before heading North. As I left, the last thing I saw was his eyes softening.
He was not the 1st or last agent - from Land of Maple Syrup - who would cross my path. But that's another can of worms for another day.
This story is one that stays close to my heart. Not because any physical harm or grave imminent danger came out of it. I didn't lose a limb. No, I lost something else. Something that is so so easy to miss for those looking in from the outside.
A little part of me died that day.
The assh*le boss. The NDE. Now this. The tsunami of grief was OVERWHELMING.
But I hung on.
Months later when the Most Powerful Man on Planet Earth - aka my dear friend, what I call him these days - reached out to me for the 1st time, I was a mere shadow. Hanging on by a thread.
He saw how much I SUFFERING.
And he wanted me to return to Land of Great Walls. Like right away. He was trying to protect me. But it was me who INSISTED on staying. And so he honored my wishes. Because I had unfinished business. Because I was born a fighter, and I can fight my own fights. And because it wasn't time.
But now it is.
I can feel it. The time has come for me to return to the Land where the People AND its leaders welcome me with grace and open arms. Where I feel such RELIEF the moment the airplane lands on the runway. Where beauty and order are two sides of the same coin.
I really do miss it.
That's NOT an easy thing for me to admit. I've made some REALLY good friends on Land Where Eagles Soar. Both in-person and virtually. They inspire to keep going. Even on days, when all I want to do is crumble into a ball, bawl my eyes out and throw myself a pity party - just me, myself and I. It happens more than I let on. More on that later.
As I'm writing and time travelling, it becomes oh so clear to me - it really is time for me to go to home.
But this doesn't have to be good-bye. Not at all. I'm kind of hoping you'll visit me. And see Land of Great Walls for yourself. A little wine and dine. A little joy and awe to nourish your beautiful spirit. You deserve to be treated well.
Promise me you'll think on it ??
When you're ready and want an adventure with me at your side, I PROMISE x100 to have your back every step of the way.
I Got You.
Always :)