Last Day

Today was my mental break day, and with any luck tomorrow will be another. After 3.5 months in Kenya and a particularly frustrating few weeks, I splurged on a swanky hotel for my last night in the country. I’d been trying to change my flight to go home a few days earlier, but wasn’t able to do it for less than $655! So… since I’d expected to spend $200-ish on a ticket change, I decided that if I couldn’t change my flight I would treat myself to a fancy hotel. So that’s exactly what I did – put myself at the Fairview Hotel in Nairobi for my last night. It has a pool, a sundeck, tons of gardens, five restaurants, a fitness center, a fantastic breakfast buffet and nightly live piano music.

I spent the afternoon laying on the pool deck and letting my mind wander. I didn’t read, didn’t write the postcards I’m behind on, didn’t listen to music. I just thought. And thought and thought. It was lovely. I headed to the garden and sat on a bench surrounded by greenery. My favorite moment of the day came just then. I noticed the first Bird of Paradise flower that I’ve seen in Kenya, so immediately thought of my Nana. She loved Birds of Paradise, thought they were so beautiful. I was smiling and thinking of Nana when a teeny butterfly flitted across the lawn. Butterflies and my Nana had a special connection, and to me butterflies will always represent my Nana’s continuing presence. So that was a truly special few minutes in the garden for me. A perfect compliment to my day.

In the evening, I read for ages, watched a movie on the first TV I had all summer, went for a run in the gym. It was exactly the day that I needed.

And tomorrow I get to go home!

Chicago, Beach Park, Bloomington: I am so terribly excited to breathe your air.