Wasting time

“…I wish I could waste my time without wasting all yourrrrr tiiiiiiime.” She sang along to the lyric, windows down, while it was just starting to rain.

Her arm was stretched out the window, like always. She had an odd habit of watching the side mirror’s reflection of her fingers blowing in the wind while she was driving. Now she watched in the mirror as she put her hand up, palm out, fingers extended so that she could catch passing raindrops from the wind. Looking around her car, she checked to make sure nothing critical was getting wet and decided to continue driving, windows down. A red Malibu passed her on the left and she noticed that they had all of their windows open, too. She felt some form of solidarity.

It was raining hard enough to require windshield wipers, but she didn’t feel satisfied. She looked around the car to make sure there wasn’t anything that couldn’t get really wet, and then she slid back the cover to her sunroof and pushed the button marked “Slide.” As it opened, she caught a glimpse of herself in her rear-view mirror and gave a shrug. She slid her sunglasses off her face and over her hair to help keep her hair tamed with the extra wind… and rain.

The red Malibu rolled its windows up. She laughed.

The light was red. She leaned her head back and looked up out of the sunroof. The raindrops were big and she could see them as they were falling, causing her to squint and blink as each drop landed near her eyes. She knew this rain would pass in a matter of minutes, maybe less, and the heat and humidity of a Southern summer afternoon would quickly take its place. As the light turned green, she took the sunglasses off of her head and shook some of the rain out of her hair. She begrudgingly closed the sunroof as if someone was nagging her to do so while she was left unfulfilled and wanting more. She caught another glimpse of herself in her rear-view mirror and raised her eyebrows as drops of rain were still rolling down her face.

She wasn’t angry anymore. She wasn’t heartbroken either. She questioned for a moment if she was happy. She smiled. She looked at her reflection. Yes, that still felt good and looked normal. Happy? Sure, yes.  If not now, soon. She could be happy soon.

Mt. Kilimanjaro

Here's what "no person ever" starts off saying when they're about to talk about their lifelong dream of climbing a really big ass mountain: I hate exercising. And it's TRUE... But I guess not the whole truth. So here's the reality: swimming, biking, and hiking sounds like a damn good time. It doesn't sound like exercise. Running sounds like exercise. Gyms sound like exercise. Standing in front of machines, "doing reps," sounds like exercise. Having to see people watching themselves workout and flexing in front of mirrors sounds like exercise... or comedy (/tragedy). 

But tell me that I need to condition before going on vacation, and add "swimming, biking, and hiking" to a list of travel preparations, and I. Am. In. I can get behind that. I need to carry a 30 lb pack 50 miles up and down a mountain? I can do that. That works as motivation.  

I decided a few years ago that I wanted to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, which will from here on be referred to as Kili. It was part of a 5-year travel plan. Australia is in there, and Ireland, too. But some part of my soul really loves Africa, and I feel like my first trip will probably be somewhat life changing. So, why not climb one of the world's seven summits, and have that be my introduction to Africa? Plus, I don't really like the "climbing" part of mountain climbing. So I need a mountain that is big, but walking and hiking steep, not sheered off rock faces steep. I don't mind heights, I just don't trust me on the end of a rope propelling my own body weight up thousands of feet, and I don't imagine I'll ever be climbing Everest. 

So how does one plan a Kili trip? My thought: if the trip is going to be about going to Africa and climbing a mountain, which apparently involves a lot of mental and physical perseverance (though I'm known for not taking anything too seriously), it should probably be about the mountain climbing and then about Africa. 

Step 1 - focus on the climbing.

Step 2 - focus on getting in good enough condition that the climb shouldn't be ridiculously arduous and make me wish for an African death.

Step 3 - what do I need to pack?

Step 4 - how can I climb this mountain and pack as little as possible?

Step 5 - climbing Kili means you go in and out of like 4-5 climates. See Step 4.

Step 6 - who can I talk into this? aka "Who's comin' with me??"

Step 7 - shots? ...a lot of shots. Dammit, Africa.

Step 8 - I don't want to have to completely worry about food and water and tents... must find a guided travel option.

Step 9 - I normally do not require amenities, but some kind of comfort on this climb (in Africa) will probably be required. See Step 8.

Step 10 - after the climb, make it about Africa. I hear the guides expect tips and also ask for used gear from climbers. This is understandable. Bring extras. Schools in the Kili area also receive a lot of supplies and donations from the climbers. Fill extra space in luggage with extra necessities to donate.

See you in 2 or 3 years, Kili. (Please don't kill me.) 

Tomato and Watermelon Salad

This is a little bowl of heaven when all the ingredients are at their freshest... like out of the garden fresh. But... please don't eat this salad if you don't like one of these ingredients. Because every bite tastes like all of the ingredients (to me that means delicious), and thanks to most of the ingredients' palate cleansing properties, each bite tastes fresh and new. So if you aren't a fan of basil or arugula, leave it out. But if you aren't a fan of watermelon or tomato (I'm sad for you), don't eat this.

For one serving:

2 handfuls of cubed tomatoes (beefsteak)

2 handfuls of cubed watermelon (seedless)

2 tbsp of feta

a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

5 small basil leaves (torn into tiny pieces)

5 large arugula leaves (torn into medium sized pieces)

Enjoy!

And an added bit of advice: When your bowl looks like this:

DRINK IT!