Recently I lead a trip to Europe. It was a school trip comprised of students from my school, parents and staff. It was an excellent tour package: Ireland, Scotland, and England - we even got to spend one of our nights in Wales just to allow us to say we had done the entire UK. This is the fourth such trip that I have lead - I have developed a tradition of picking Kim up a piece of jewelry on each trip. The practice is one that I have grown fond of as it is a way that I can bring back a piece of art that Kim really enjoys which reminds me of the trip each time Kim wears the piece.
The last trip, like all of the others, was fantastic. All of the planning that had to be done to get the trip off of the ground was rewarded with spectacular vistas, great photo opportunities and good food. How then in the midst of such an enjoyable experience could MS possibly rear its ugly head you might rightly ask? Well it was the evening of our fifth day of touring and we were staying in Dublin. After the students were bedded down I retired to my room to write the day's activities in my travel journal. I also, at this point in the day, make a point of going through my camera to delete any photos that did not turn out so as to free up the memory card for the following day.
It was during this activity that I had a painful epiphany. I was looking at some digital photos that I had taken of various groups at tables during supper - we had even had the waiter take a picture of our table for posterity; it was while I was going though these photos that I realized that Kim was missing. It is not like I was not aware that Kim was not with me - I was cognizant of that, it is just that at this particular moment I keenly felt her absence; as I reflected upon the larger implications that my realization had that I was overcome with a true sense of loss.
When you get married to someone you have that romantic notion that you will see the world together, have children, grow old together, etc. Well at this moment when sitting there with my camera I realized with painful clarity that Kim and I were not sharing these Kodak moments with each other. This was a powerful realization and while it did not "ruin" the rest of my trip to the UK it certainly was in my mind each time that I picked up the camera to shoot anything else for the duration of the trip.
On a positive note Kim has always been super supportive of my travelling the globe. It is very big hearted of her to support me in my travel endeavors without ever so much as a grimace - even though I know that it saddens her greatly to be left behind. Did I ever mention that I was married to a wonderful woman!
