Our last day

(TOM) Well, I'm sitting with Miranda, feet kicked up, enjoying the niceties of the Air France Club Room compliments of Delta, waiting to board the flight home (it's delayed).

The photos attached to this are of the sunset yesterday from Lions Head. We made the climb and enjoyed the sun, the rain, the wind, the stillness, the quite, the activity of people jogging past, images of city and mountains and ocean - all of it. It was just right. Before we went up there we went to an African Restaurant for our last chance to try Ox tail or tripe or Mopane worms (we again passed on all three). While waiting, we had some fun taking pics of each other from across the table. Mo's is just her being her; chocolate shake from a straw, peace sign, an expression that belies whatever thoughts and emotions may be there. Me, I'm just taking advantage of an empty restaurant and a pretty loud sound system playing some Percy Sledge. Good times.

(Some of you have asked about video. Well, we're recording in HD and I didn't get the software needed to convert HD to digital, so we've lots of work to do on video editing over the next few weeks. We'll try to post a highlight reel here when we get it done).

We flew to Joberg from CT this morning on another Mango flight. The last time we were on Mango (from Durban to CT) it was our first chance to see any photos from Impendle. We sat there next to each other, each with one half of the iPod earphones, listening to U2 (Miracle Drug, Sometimes You Can't Make it on Your Own, Crumbs from Your Table, Where the Streets have No Name, One, Walk On, Grace, The SunCity version of Silver and Gold, 40, Bad, etc.). We sat there looking at those images of Impendle over and over, weeping like little children. It was a powerful moment. I'm sure we were a site.

Today we flew from CT to Joberg on Mango and were again crying a bit, but also laughing and joking, staring and thinking, sitting quitely, remembering, pondering, missing what we're leaving and what we're going towards. Like our emotions, the mix of music was more diverse as well; songs about coming home, about needing nothing but love, about little feet, about not taking things for granted, about two cute but ugly people, etc. I guess we were a bit like South Africa itself; a mixed up, highly energised, passionate, blend of a lot of diverse perspectives and emotions and experiences. Pretty good if you can just maintain enough control...

Next?
Well, Miranda and I have already discussed how we can stay connected to Impendle, continue to help the people there, and help facilitate others who want to help as well. There are a couple of options available. I don't know what it will be, but we keep coming back to the idea of "isipo", "gift", the name Amahle used to refer to Miranda, and the thing we received every minute of every day in Impendle and the rest of South Africa. Somewhere is an isipo that we need to share with the people of South Africa and the rest of the world. Please keep asking us about it. It is easy to get some balance and feel more connected to the world, and adjust priorities when on vacation. The day-to-day grind of the American lifestyle - of getting ahead before anything else - tends to get in the way of our better selves that thinks of others well being as much as our own. Please help us remember and act; don't let us off the hook. That can be your isipo to us. Stay tuned here to see what we decide to do.

Any time any of you want, we're happy to have you over to share some SA food and wine and photos and videos. Thanks for coming along with us on this trip of a lifetime.