Connected through the silence...

📷It is 5:15pm in the Chicago area, but 1:15am here in Johannesburg South, South Africa and I am unable to sleep.

Do you know that it is so quiet here right now that I am aware of my own breathing and heart beat. The windows are even open to let in breeze and I hear nothing… It is so peaceful, which I love. It reminds me of summers at my grandparents’ house in Hale County, Alabama. There was only stillness and a view of every visible star in the night sky against a dark blue backdrop.

Hold on a minute… Okay, so I cannot tell much about the night sky here because there are clouds, but I wonder… Wait… Okay… a barking dog in the distance and car driving somewhere close by… Okay, now it stopped and the silence has returned.

I have learned to have deep regard for silence.

I have a lot of thoughts going around in my but the most dominant thought being in the form of a question: Why does everyone swear by the iPad and claim they are so AWESOME when it is not friendly at all?! I have spent days figuring out what app I need to accomplish certain tasks and other stuff. Ugh!!! What ever happened to being able to download a simple song??? Is there no place to collect downloaded files on this thing?!

I have SO MANY images, footage, thoughts and reflections I desire to share (efficiently) on my blog for my family and friends with whom I desire to share this experience and for whom I am seeking to see new things. I am a bit frustrated that I have not yet been able to share my experience with my family friends and colleges as I desired, but I am figuring it out.

Gene has stated more than once that I am here on assignment – both personal and professional – and I need to be focused on experiencing all I am to experience while I am here… He says not to focus on being able to call because of the time differences. I get that. I doesn’t want me to miss anything because I am focusing on calling all 10 people on my “must stay connected” list. Whatever…

My youngest sent me an email and asked if I could send him more photos… You got it, Omari! First on my list of things to do for tomorrow? Figuring out how to make a slide show with my own music that I have downloaded from a source other than iTunes.

Hmmm… there is thunder in the distance. Wow… and LOUDER now. Perhaps that means we will have more rain soon. That will surely help me get some rest before it is officially time to get my day started again.

NOTE: I figured out that most of my issues are just based in me figuring out what apps to use… getting there… hoping to figure it all out before I return home.