Love at the Speed of Email by Lisa McKay

Author:Lisa McKay [McKay, Lisa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Biography & Autobiography, Nonfiction, Personal Memoir, Retail
ISBN: 9780985480905
Barnesnoble:
Publisher: Karinya Publishing
Published: 2012-06-28T04:00:00+00:00

Mike, Papua New Guinea

Mike’s next letter arrived the next day.

“Right now there is a tremendous tropical downpour,” it began. “You know, the sort when you can taste the moisture in the air as you hear the rain pounding on the roof. When I experience those types of rain it brings back memories of sitting on the front porch in Uganda after a hard sweaty day’s work, listening to jazz on my iPod, feeling the winds sweep in much-needed refreshment. The bad side of these types of rains is that they make everything you own turn moldy. But who needs clothes and leather shoes when you have memories like that?

“Now, after rereading the end of your last letter, let me pause for a second and allow me to point out that blaming your own shortcomings on others is perhaps not the most healthy of coping strategies to get you through life. I take no blame in your inability to manage to get to bed at a sensible hour. But in the spirit of camaraderie among fellow travelers on the journey, allow me to pass on to you a most excellent coping strategy I learned during my time in Tajikistan. Here it is: blame all your problems on (drumroll) Uzbekistan!

“That’s right. All problems, any problems, any time, it’s Uzbekistan’s fault. The Tajiks are legendary at it. Price of flour rising in the market? Uzbekistan is blocking trucks. No gas in the mains? Uzbekistan is blocking the pipeline. Overcast, gloomy day? All that dust stirred up in Uzbekistan is blowing over. It seemed odd at first, but I’ve come to embrace this strategy. Whenever I have one of those crap moments at work, ‘Damn Uzbekistan!’ Or when I feel particularly lonely or isolated or frustrated ‘It’s all Uzbekistan’s fault!’ and I instantly feel better. So next time you’re in need of a scapegoat for any problem you may face, don’t forget that the lovely land of the Uzbeks is at your disposal.

“And, yes, the internal and unwinnable war between the longing for adventure and home. You described it well in your last letter. Last year before I left Melbourne I went on a little personal retreat at an Ignatian Spirituality Centre. One of the things that came out of that time was a ‘mapping’ of those desires as different branches of the same tree.

“I want challenge, adventure, intensity, purpose.

“And I want stable friendships, reasonable comfort, security.

“At the time it seemed like it was all well and good for those different branches to stem from the trunk of ‘I want to love and to be loved’ and it still does. But on a weekly basis those branches duke it out a bit for prominence as far as which one holds more roosting birds at night. Not sure which branch produces more fruit, though.”

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