Tender is the Night

Tonight the Duff enjoys a quiet evening alone, immersed in his solitude, free to roam wherever his moods and minds take him, recapping the near history and the far flung truths that travails his life.

Over the weekend, The Duff took a long enjoyable drive in his dependable and 15 year old Ford Laser to a tip of the Australian continent where a lazy town called Augusta lies and a prominent lighthouse is erected. It is where the South Ocean of the Antarctic meets the Indian Ocean, according to the Australian authorities, although the world community sees that line forming much further south. The drive down was fun for him. Covering the distances, absorbing the scenery and making the pit-stop at Busselton which hosts the longest wooden jetty in the southern hemisphere (almost 2km long, but closed due to instability, only allowing 200m to be open to the public).

He slept most of the way back, recovering from the previous night of only 3 hours sleep. His minimum is usually 4. Enroute, his little group encountered some bumps in the itinerary when the caves they had wanted to visit were fully booked. It was one of the busiest weekends in the year for the continent. They settled for a cave that was much less impressive, and it left a bitter taste in the Duff's mouth for he was, in a manner, the tour guide. The only excuse he had was that the drive was planned just 9 hours prior to departure. Even then, failure is a jagged pill to swallow.

Nevertheless, it was a trip worth taking, as are most trips. Even if you don't manage to accomplish all your goals, it is in the trying, in the journey, in the shared camaraderie, that makes it worth the while. The photos, the stories, the laughter and even the anguish, is what makes trips like these, and in fact the longer journey that is life, magical.

Another journey that The Duff had started recently was that of flying a new aircraft. The Beechcraft Baron 58. Twin engine, 600 HP, 6 seater and overall monster of a machine. Like with most new things, it takes a little getting used to. The usual fumbling along, the new mistakes that lessons would and have been learnt from, is all part of the process of growth. As his body remembers how to handle the great beast, his aptitude increases. He began to enjoy and appreciate the plane, which in the beginning he felt much apprehension for. It would most likely be the hardest aircraft he'd ever fly, and thus he relishes every flight and every challenge, facing it head-on like a running back into the defensive line. ILS in assymetric flight. Supposedly the holy grail of flight.

And a new page turns. The Duff recently had his 30th birthday come and go. Not so much for celebration, albeit a milestone of sorts. He lamented that he was in an environment not exactly conducive for celebrations, being without family. However, he did have his newest family around him, his comrade in arms, his fellow course mates. Brothers at war against the forces that keep us grounded. The Duff has drawn many parallels with this experience and the one he had in the army. Approximately the same period of time, the same shared experiences in terms of isolation and challenge. The same sharing of stories and creation of laughter. Friendships that last a lifetime. Even if they do not meet up often thereafter, there is that immediate sense of familiarity and the ease of which conversations settle into the old comfortable ways is astounding.

As with most new pages in the book that is his life's journey, there is always a summary of reflections and self-assessments, and a list of new things he wishes to see improved upon in his life. He constantly wonder when Life would begin. One of his greatest flaws, for he seldom lives in the Now. He pines for the past and dreams of a better future. His favourite line of late," No time like the present. No greater present like Time."

Ain't that the truth.