I got to be Ford’s deckhand again! After helping him out, he took us to the Red Rooster for a sandwich, then I asked if we could walk the beach from one point to the other. He was down!
“I want to walk real fast, though,” I said, “I have a lot of energy.”
“No problem,” he said.
We took the ATV and cruised down to the mud flats. Just as I knew I would, I got a rush of energy to explore. We found remnant bones of a moose, including its hoof. He pointed out a blanket of white seashells that he said appeared like snow.
“It’s like the Universe, except inverted,” I said as I ran to it.
Ford was too slow for my liking, but he told me he would catch up. He sat down and told me I could keep going all the way to the dock.
“I need to,” I said, panting for adventure.
I could feel it in my legs and in my soul. He assured me to go and said he would bring the four wheeler my way. And so I walked, and then I ran… along the mud flats with my arms wide open and my head looking up. A smile on my face, I felt free. Later Ford told me that was the moment he fell in love with me although he tried so hard not to. I had a flashback to Joey saying the same when I was running on a beach in the Bahamas, my feet skipping across the seashells as my arms were out and I was laughing to the sky.
“That was the moment I fell in love with you,” Joey said, “you’re so free spirited about life. Please don’t ever lose that.”
Sometimes, I think the people that view me in that light overlook the part where I experience just the same depth except in pain.
While I was gone, Ford grabbed some seashells to write in the sand, spelling out: AJABU GODA. It was the Swahili word for wonder, miracle, mystery.
So, I walked and walked along the mud flats, throughout the windy meadows, Spirit taking me to the most magical of places. Through the guidance, I found perfectly spiral shaped seashells and more bones—this time from a male see otter. I found feathers and crabs, too! It was so beyond healing to get my feet dirty and sticky when I crossed muddy streams.
Near the end of my walk, Ford picked me up and took me on a drive off the beaten track through streams, hills, meadows and tall brush. God, I felt alive. The scent of autumn on the horizon, the leaves gave hint of turning their colors from bright green to a deep yellow.
When we made it to the road, he pumped air into his tires then we drove to four corners. There, we ran into Wildflower crossing the road whom I happened to just be talking about. I had wanted to gift her my scarf, and today happened to be her birthday!
Lastly, we stopped at Ford’s house so I could give the seashells a bath. They did not like that I used soap nor did they like the taste of the tap water.
I quickly sprayed as much of the sand off as possible, then asked, “Ford, can you get a towel for them to dry off on?”
“What about cardboard? I have a lot of cardboard.”
I shot him a look. “They don’t feel comfortable on cardboard, Ford.”
He laughed, apologized for being so inconsiderate then brought out a light blue towel and placed it on the table where I laid them all out to dry. We would bring the bones to Moose Lane where I would decipher whether or not I would give them to the owners or mail them back home to place on my altar. It would depend on their excitement level. (Jayson ended up loving it so I left them with him.)
Ford printed out all of the paperwork for Africa so I could get an idea of what I would be working with when applying for the visa along with what I would need to send to the embassy. We got more things in motion for the Ghana trip, such as him researching a decent bike for me. In the meantime, I bought a different bike seat, looked into pieces of gear, etc.
He seemed super stoked about the trip, but in a desperate kine way. I could feel him holding onto the idea of it happening and pressuring me to get the plane ticket sorted out as soon as possible. The thing is, I deeply feel it’s going to work out fine, but still, I hold the plans I make very lightly in my mind, knowing that things can change in an instant. We never truly know which direction Spirit will take us. We are never in control of that. We just have ideas, but the script is already written and the experiences are passing through us.
