Texts
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(FC) Foreign Correspondent & Friend: Did you receive my email? Departed Aden.
Me: Yes. Thanks. Detour. How long will you be in Nairobi?
FC: Few days. Detours are built into my expectations
ME: Political Climate & sundry occurrences.
FC: You could say that. Will take pleasure in the layover.
Me: Sound calm. That’s good.
FLC: Humor & breathing…die Essenz des Lebens.
(the Essence of life)
Me: What next?
FC: Return briefly to Bonn.
Me: Safe trip. Stay in touch.
FC: Barring any more detours. Did you finish the book?
Me: A draft.
FC: Good luck. No more detours?
Me: Thanks. Agree. Will share?
FC: Yes. Thanks.
Me: My best.
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LAC (Los Angeles colleague): Got your email.
Me: Good. Ambiguous situation?
LAC: What isn’t? I expect we’ll experience a detour or two or more.
Me: Detours appear to be an ingredient in life’s delicacies.
LAC: One needs to be careful in which dish to taste first. Calorie intake can bloat a person, into an unfamiliar shape.
Me: The person I see in the mirror today may not be the same person I saw in the mirror yesterday.
LAC: Detours arrive in varied sizes & forms each day. We may not recognize them as a detour.
Me: We become what we see and savor?
LAC: Prepare yourself for “the smile”. Networking is filled with detours, like discovering your date is AI (artificial intelligence) at the other end of the call you receive.
Me: Thanks. I’ve experienced. Will stay in touch.