"Take These!": The Affection of a Stranger in Guinea
GUINEA
We’ve just come back from the nearby island, trying to time it perfectly so we’re there to savour the ‘no window sunset’, where there is no glass on the balcony.
But in Africa, logistics don’t often operate in logical or linear ways.
When the boat docks, the Uber isn’t there - and doesn’t ever show.
So near but far enough away are we that flagging down a vehicle seems like it’d take more than a miracle. Just then, her shoe breaks. And while she’s a local, she ain’t happy to hobble barefoot on the gravel-pebble path.
I swap with her and so soon, my bare feet meets Mother Africa, like lovers reunited. A lady of privilege, yet still, my compass aligns with this continent’s currency. I don’t know how, but somehow I know where to take a gentle tip toe and when to firmly plant and push off, but then again, my body is the chauffeur, not my mind.
The road is long, yet hugs the water’s edge. People peek curiously at me and I realize it's time to hide my beach attire. I slip on my full length tropical dress, now needing to tend to it amidst the potholes as well as balancing the utopia of being au natural in Guinea with the actual possibility of a dangerous misstep, with surprising sequela.
The sun starts to signal the play’s end, upping the ante of our literal race against time. My foot draws blood, but I know my body will heal - the sheer ability to auto correct for these pesky problems is pretty powerful. How much do we take our physiology and immunology for granted?
I’m reminded of the magnified mitochondria my eyes met in Grade 9 … was I ever blown away! Such complex systems that simply work (for the most part) on autopilot (as ultimately orchestrated by the Captain of Creation) - so obviously then, I was drawn into the world of medicine.
I put pressure on my heel and stop the viscous drip, knowing that later I’ll need to extract the debris that, left unattended, would create mischief. Today, we are on a mission to see the sunset. How many cycles of sun dances do we take the time to honour? In Guinea though, this is a sold out show.
Suddenly, a stranger sees me and urges me to stop. Several before him have cautioned me on this hobbling journey.
But he, he takes off his own shoes and says with a passionate plea “please take these!”
I’m touched nearly to tears. Will he then go double barefoot so I can not go half barefoot?
The one who can see, feel, hold, honour and do something about the plight of another - now, that’s the kind of human I hope we can all always be.
The moment reminded me of his poem entitled Bani Adam (human kind), where the Persian-Muslim polymath Sa’adi wrote: “Human beings are members of a whole, in creation of one essence and soul. If one member is afflicted with pain, other members uneasy will remain. If you have no sympathy for human pain, the name of human you cannot retain.” As these infamous lines decorate the walls of the United Nations, much direction and wisdom does it hold today for our planet and peoples.
I thank him profusely but refuse his kindness. Unassuaged on his mission to aid and abet, he frantically runs off, flagging down motorbikes with such urgency that made me feel like I was actually his own. As if that’s not enough generosity of spirit, he attempts to shove bills into the driver’s hand to pay for the ride!
In this moment, I longed for a gift, some token that I could squish into his hand and heart as a gesture of love reciprocated. As I gently returned his cash back, I prayed for him to be whisked to safety and satiation and that someone out there would have his back too.
The bikes weave as much as they wobbled through traffic. The opening act had begun, but because of this spirit mate of mine whose generosity and care orchestrated this wild ride, we were able to slide into our seats for the remaining sequence of the sun’s sequel. Surrounded with such beauty and company, I felt utterly blessed to have front row seats like these!
May we give and take in such coordinated symphony that it leaves us all in consonance, health and harmony,