The Journey Begins

Today marks the beginning of my South African adventure. As I write this, I am sitting in my hotel room in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is Friday morning. I left San Diego on Wednesday evening. So, after more than 30 hours of traveling, I am somewhat tired. More than that though, arriving here today has been a pretty surreal experience. For one thing, it has been almost 9 years since I was last here. That was when I came back to help my grandmother pack up to move to San Diego. This is the first time in my life that I have been to South Africa and my grandparents are not here. As long as I can remember I have always stayed at their condo when I visited, but now I am in a hotel, and it is certainly strange. My grandfather passed away here about 11 years ago, so being back reminds me a lot of him. Part of me expects to see him coming around the corner any moment to hang out, but I know that's not going to happen. It's amazing how fast life moves. On that note, I am also here with my wife, who happens to be 7 months pregnant. It is her (and my daughter's) first trip here. I am excited to share this place with them, the land where I was born, the land that holds so many amazing memories for me. We are in for a beautiful and amazing journey while we are here. Safari, wine country, the coast, long time friends, family, and more. Although I was born here, and have been here many times before, this trip is entirely new for me. I am seeing everything through different eyes now, the eyes of a husband, the eyes of a father to be, and as always the eyes of a seeker. What will I have experienced and discovered at the end of this journey? I can't say for sure, but I look forward to finding out. What I can be sure of right now though is that with a heart full of fond memories, and open to making new ones, the journey begins . . .