Dear Editor – Mostly, when I awake in the morning I greet my wife and look through our window at a pristine Iron Bottom Sound (IBS) and instantly day dream of the time when the Sound will be filled with images of winds pushing tri-cat sailing machines plying for destinies west and east of the IBS.
I roll out of bed, stand, turn, and look southward to the distant, verdant hills outlining the north edge of the Weather Coast, thinking of it as the Shangri La for glider pilots.
Maybe one day a wake-up call will be heard by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Development to consider that idea.
Greeting Popo, who is, most of the time, asleep at the foot of the bed; I step on the wood floor and then the curving ramp and reflect on my enjoyment each time I walk through this ocean of inner space towards the ablution room while Popo jumps from the bed, leading the way.
Morning duty for me before ablutions is to clean Popo’s food bowl, change the water bowl and put fresh water in the moat to befuddle a hoard of ants from eating Popo’s food.
My routine three minute exercise consists of fingers against the wall push-ups; arm circulations simulating freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke and butterfly swimming.
If one would say, “you’re crazy, how can you do all of that in a shower?”
I’d say, planning helps one to almost do anything, anyplace.
With solar hot water splashing from head to toe for another ten minutes, without a swimming cap and goggles, I’m done.
Meanwhile, Popo’s routine after her meal is to either jump from a desk top or a hand rail to the window sill, climb over a glass louver, plop her fur coated body on the sill with paws pushing against and ruining the fly screen, and alertly, she sleeps for two plus hours.
I’m dressed, do my 14 steps, vertical exercise, to the ground floor, stride to my office, say my obligatory prayers, and deepen by reading God’s words.
Striding to our one-wall, two story kitchen, I heat hot water for, tea; pop two pieces of bread in the toaster.
Sip tea, chew toast and finish the bird sized meal for breakfast.
Returning to my office I scan – usable knowledge book titles, built model sailplanes.
One balsa model, still in its box, is a two meter wingspan Schweitzer, an antique/rare Arthur Ash tennis racquet and a race car design sketch, I, then decide, it’s time to take on the challenging, inspirational events of the day.
All of this is to say we should be inspired by life’s changes and chances in the Creator’s tropical paradise AKA the Solomon Islands.
Don Boykin
Honiara
