Cleaning out my locker, shredding legal documents, making an appointment for a hair cut and counting the minutes.
Today was a day for reflection and connection. I should receive my itinerary in a few days as I get ready to say good bye. My feelings are bitter sweet. Sweet because I’ll resume my life and see my family and bitter for the ones that I must leave behind. I was blessed to meet a few like minded individuals and we became friends thru a common bond. I like to think of us as victims of circumstance. We shared laughter, meals, openness, vulnerability, personal stories, dreams, plans, family life and had conversations on a deep level. I will stop short of sharing names for obvious reasons.
One guy, the chef of the group, is throwing a farewell get together dinner in my honor tonight. The time and effort he is putting into this is off the charts and I am beyond humbled and grateful. Resources and something as simple as heating up food are not readily available so it takes time and planning to pull this off. My time here without these guys would have been much harder. When I arrived there was another guy from Boston who checked in the same day and time as I did. To say there are cultural and geographical differences here would be a gross understatement. It was great to have someone that I could relate to from day one. There are others that I bonded with over our mutual appreciation of poetry, philosophy. comedy, cryptocurrency and music. I have spent countless hours with these men of our own free will and forged life long friendships.
I recently watched the movie “The 33” it’s the story of the miners in Chile in 2010 who were trapped 2,000 feet under ground in a mine for over 2 months. After experiencing such harsh conditions and nearly starving to death they all came out alive. The bond that was formed thru that shared experience forged life long friendships. At the end of the movie before the credits roll they show the names and a picture of each of the real life miners today. Then they show a group photo of a reunion with the caption “They all remain friends to this day”. The timing for me to see this movie was divine.
When you experience something traumatic or life altering with others there is a relatability created that could never be imitated and that is not easily explained. If I ever have the opportunity to meet those outside of this place who became my friends while here, words will not need to be spoken. We will just nod and smile. I will never forget Camp Cumberland.