La Reconnaissance

‘Tis (still) the season, and since I can’t be home this year in time to watch my favorite Christmas special, I will instead foist upon you some unconventional holiday cheer (that I also love):
Ah classic stuff that brings back grainy VHS memories…

And with that out of the way, here’s today’s blog entry. But first, a definition of the same word in two different languages:

Reconnaissance / [ri-kon-uh-suhns, -zuhns] noun
   1. the act of reconnoitering. 
   2. a search for useful military information in the field, esp. by examining the ground. 

Reconnaissance /ʀ(ə)kɔnɛsɑ̃s/  feminine noun     
  1. gratitude
  
So I won’t lie: ever since my UCAD professors decided not to hold classes this month, it’s been really, really nice having my nights back. I can finally do something other than sit in a broken classroom chair and listen to the same three guys rhapsodize about nothing at all, simply because they like the sound of their voices. Last night this meant I could attend my yoga class downtown (and also obtain better photos of that crazy electric holiday cone).
Whenever I go to yoga, our excellent instructor always begins by walking around with a fanned deck of cards from which we can randomly select one. Each card contains a word, and as students we can take its message to heart or completely disregard it during our practice. There’s never any pressure to divine any inner meanings in yoga- you’re on your own program (which is why I love it). Me, I tend to have what my friend Liz terms as “monkey mind”, and thus I usually forget about the card and its message about 60 seconds after class begins. 
But last night’s pull from the deck was one that stuck with me for the entire 75 minutes:
IMG_5899

“Are you there Megan? It’s Me, (insert belief system here).”

A few years back I was trudging down the jet bridge at the KL airport, getting ready to board a Malaysian Airlines flight. “Look” said one of the guys traveling with me as he pointed to our plane’s cockpit. The pilot had prayer beads in hand and was clearly going through his own personal pre-flight procedure.

“That’s cool.” I said, “I don’t care if he’s got chicken bones up there- so long as he gets us to our destination safely, he can do whatever he wants.”

Now I believe in the power of just about anything: chapelet, rosaries, holy books, family, Magic 8 Ball, a can of pinto beans- and yes even a stack of mass-produced yoga cards. We are all drawn to our own foundations of support and suggestion, and tonight I took my card as a sign. I may not get as emotional as John Boehner, but this chance draw was a good kick in the ass for me to write a post that seems fitting as we wrap up an interesting 2010.

So here’s a list of ten things that I am grateful for this year. I can tell you that there is much more, but I have a shorter attention span than you so ten is what you’ll get:

1. My family: for always keeping me tethered to my Mashpee Middle School roots, no matter how many promotions the Navy happens to grant me.

2. My health: shockingly, still standing after countless rounds against that Heavyweight Champion known as Mysterious Developing Country Food-borne Bacteria.

3. My amazing circle of friends who put up with my unflappable cynicism and also listen to me complain when I am this close to calling my detailer and asking for an IA so that I can deploy to a place where I can shoot men for acting like damn fools around me….(exhale)

4. My employment, and of course the generosity of the Olmsted Foundation for giving me such a prestigious scholarship.

5. All of the ridiculous, hair-pulling moments that have helped me to grow in ways that I still might not yet recognize.

6. The fact that I still have loved ones around who have way more to worry about than just harrying Dakar traffic experiences. Remembering them helps get me through many difficult days while here by myself.

7. Skype, Ooma and the internet. This ain’t my study abroad experience of 1993-1994. 

8. Air Conditioning and my generator

9. My headlamp (hey, not everything is Senegal-proof).

10. The new friends I have made while in Dakar. Especially those who no kidding protect my sanity by keeping the movie Cars on a continuous loop.

Lord knows what even tomorrow will bring (but hopefully it will be a plane ride home). I want you all to know that if you think that I make all of this traveling and living off the reservation look easy, then you aren’t reading closely enough. I get as far as I do not because I am fearless and have acquired numerous survival skills. Hell no. It’s because I have an incredible support structure that makes me look good. That and I usually choose to eat in and trust my own cooking practices….

Now if you’ll excuse me I need to go and ask my Magic 8 Ball what’s in store for 2011.