Tuesday, August 31, 2010

An unexpected surprise

While working up in the heart of the lion's den, Washington DC, for over 7 years I met some truly wonderful people. One of them became a very good friend of mine and his name is Cesar. Cesar and I had some good times in DC after work and I especially remember the time that we stayed out to the wee hours of the morning in Georgetown, bar hopping and people watching. I can't go into the details but it was a night that I will never forget!

I also have a fear of flying, especially in commercial airliners. Cesar is a pilot and is the only person I ever trusted to get me up in a Cesna Nighthawk 3 seater. In fact, the airport we flew out of had to close down temporarily because another plane had made an emergency landing on its belly but nobody was injured. While we were waiting for the airport to reopen, we had landed at another airport nearby and had some dinner and soon, it was night and pitch black. We had no other option but to fly back but, to my surprise, the flight back was quite peaceful and scenic and liberating. I owe it to him for helping me to overcome my fear of flying and to step out beyond my normal boundaries.

I've been working closer to home for over 2 years now and I fell out of touch with Cesar because we live so far apart and because I've been focusing on higher education but he called me out of the blue last night and we have made plans to get together during my upcoming time off. He also sent me a photo of his 1 1/2 year old son (above).

It will be good to see him again because good friends are rare indeed and good for the soul.