Yes, it’s that time of year when my friend, Christine, drags me off to discover yet another part of the world. The things I do for friends, eh? This time we’re off to see some Inca treasures and Mayan temples. We begin in Chile before moving on to Peru, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico, and we complete the journey in Los Angeles. It’s going to be a gruelling twenty-eight days coping with all that champagne, cocktails, and wine, not to mention all that lovely rich scrumptious food and the arduous touristy-type trips we’ve got planned.

Joking aside, I know how damn lucky I am to be able to have these experiences. I was speaking just the other day with an impossibly young twenty-year-old who’s only just starting out on her own journey in life. She’s in the process of joining the army, making changes to build herself a whole new life and break away from her frankly, harrowing past. She was wide-eyed as Christine and I showed her our trip on the map, going to places she’d never even heard of.

“Wow, that’s amazing,” she said when we’d finished showing her photos of Mayan temples. “You’re so lucky.”

Christine and I looked at each other and wondered what impression this young lesbian had of us two, old enough to be her grandparents.

“It’s not luck,” Christine said. “It’s the result of damned hard work. And you can have the same thing if you give it everything.”

She nodded, looking contemplative. Both Christine and I worked hard to get to where we are, but by God, we’re making sure we enjoy it now! I hope you’re all doing the same.

But I digress. We’re looking forward to linking up with old acquaintances and no doubt, to make new ones to add to our ever-increasing circle of connections, which is probably my favourite part. Meeting new people, hearing their stories, finding things in common with people I might otherwise have never met. I love that!

Whoopee…here we come!