18 Dec

There are some great advantages to being out in the middle of nowhere. For one, at night you can see all the stars in the sky. There are no street lights or other man made lights protruding out from the surrounding buildings to offset the view - no reason to bring attention to to ourselves at night. As you can imagine the stars are countless on a clear night and the only light that provides any shadow is from the moon...when its out. With that said there is one problem, it is dangerous trying to walk around in the dark without a flashlight. Recently our afternoon meetings have spilled over into the evening and with the daylight at a minimum during this part of the year we have found ourselves caught in the dark more than once. If the sky is overcast you can barely see your hand in front of your face let alone the obstacles that are set-up around the compound. I know...I know just use a flashlight, I agree but at 2 o'clock in the afternoon I am not thinking about keeping my flashlight on-hand; and finding our way back to our living area is often a comical adventure especially in the mud. It's not like we are from the Air Force and scared or the dark - it's just that I can't remember the last time I could not see my hand in front of my face when outside at night. Speaking of night...have a good one.