Buddha and Bill

Plagued with denial that this trip ends tomorrow I’ve been buried in my cabin since Hawaii. As most of you know, it’s been a thoroughly educational, inspirational, motivational and sometimes confrontational job, anything but dull. Hours were long, humidity unbearable, sleep impossible and staying healthy – a true struggle. A love-hate relationship was inevitable. Beta Betty (my overweight camera) has been a third appendage for me, sitting proudly off my shoulder focusing on 700 faces in 10 foreign ports for the past 3 months. Her presence is so much a part of my profile that nobody recognizes me without her. These last busy days she’s really tested my patience; technical errors, tape issues and a dirty wide angle. Fortunately, I’ve had a card-caring Canadian friend to pull me through rough swells. Bill has been Budda’s answer to my prayers. His off-beat ‘mad-scientist’ wooly appearance lead me to the wrong impression when I first saw him. Soon after my computer died, he came to my rescue offering advice, assurance and assistance with bookkeeping my order form inventory. He’s no Martyr but he’s the closest person who I’ll ever meet to live up to that title. People I thought were my friends faded fast while my truest unit surfaced when the going really got tough. Our last day in Hawaii, I took Bill out for Vietnamese. There was a little copper Buddhist statue sitting on the bar next to burning incense. Bill insisted I chant a little verse and offer apologies for busting on Buddha. But Bill…Buddha already answered my prayers my friend…and I guess that everything truly does happen for a reason.