Had my first real day off. The consulate took the choir to the Dead Sea and invited me to join. I rode a camel named Mickey, slathered my body with mud and floated like a cork in the Dead Sea’s salty water then soaked in a hot mineral bath. It was heavenly. Slept solidly last night and I swear I had one epic dream, not a myriad of several. I don’t even think I moved and those of you who know how much I travel can imagine how much I travel when I sleep.
For day two off I walked through the Old City, then I slipped into a shop to brighten my room with a bouquet of flowers and ran into a woman I had met last year, Camilla. So good to see her. She introduced me to a Kenyon woman, Ann, who is here working on a special assignment for the UN and Tony Blair. She seems so lovely and I look forward to getting to know her while I am here. We had a nice instant connection. Because of Camilla, the owner made me a beautiful bouquet of roses and refused to take money for it. So I returned to my hotel with a huge smile on my face from such hospitality and generosity and of course, the flowers.
A few hours later I had run out to get a paper and had just slipped back into my hotel to grab my hat for dinner as it was getting quite nippy out when I got a call from the lobby. It was Camilla. She had an extra ticket and wanted to scoop me up and take me to a Caribbean party at the UN Headquarters. So, away I went with the flower shop owner and his wife and two teenage children, a cobbler and Camilla. It was quite the night. We danced until well past 2am. Cindy and Frank from the US Consulate were there as was my new friend, Ann, along with a smattering of UN employees from various countries and various ranks from a Danish General who is second in command here to my new friend, Ann and everything in between or beside or…? It was fun to dance, dance, dance. Haven’t done that since my injury really. All because I wanted to give myself a present. It felt like a whole evening of flowers. Life.
