Sailing

For several days, when my niece posts on Facebook, saying something about wishing she were home already...

She can not give details, but her tour of duty in Afghanistan has been extended. She was moved from hut on post to a tent. Then moved to another hut. Reinforcements or whatever arrived and she was sent back to a tent. But there were no tents for female troops, so she slept at a desk in the office using duffel bag as pillow.

Just over forty-years-old, do not know why she was sent there in the first place. Anyway, when I see her words, "soon you will be free" floats into my mind. The Christopher Cross lyric is actually "soon I will be free". Once the tune shows up, other lyrics follow. It's not far down to paradise, at least it's not for me, if the wind is right you can sail away...

Maybe that is why I had a dream about a man I knew many moons ago. He liked the song and had a sailboat.  He was twenty-three when I knew him ~ or a bit older, because we worked together for several years. In the dream he was an old man, yet had the same face and hair. Except no beard, mustache, hair shorter, almost balding. Um, maybe first arrival in the dream he had his normal, 1970s long hair, then it changed to "almost balding". With gray.

We are happy to see each other. He tells me he got old. I tell him, no he still looks young. He says "I will show you". He gets naked. View of his back, legs all wrinkly old-people's legs, back, arms, likewise. Only vague recollection of the rest of the dream. Think I gave him a hug, telling him he was still beautiful.

Niece can not watch videos or access many news articles or other web stuff over there. She mentioned another sailing tune by Styx. I said I would go to You Tube to watch both of them. Have not gotten to the Styx tune yet. Got sidetracked. If you have been to You Tube, there is a list of other videos, and one leads me to another. And another. And another. Listening to the tunes, I got sad, missing my long ago friend, because the songs I was lead to watch were from the same time period.

Maybe it is being young that I miss, life ahead of me, endless possiblities, rather than the best of life behind me, nothing but closed doors and dead end ahead.