The Extras

I'm blipping on the terrace of the Marriott Hotel, after seeing Bb off to the airport back to Bcn. These comings and goings aren't always easy and we sometimes wonder why we do it. The exposure to other people, cultures and their politics is the answer. That's what makes it all worth it and makes us what we are. It's that extra element added to our everyday life that adds that extra spark.

That made me think of 'extras' and a friend in Brazil's posting on Facebook today. Her son was born with an extra chromosome, so 'has' or 'is' Down's Syndrome..... She was talking about the fact that she measures time differently to most people as her son, approaching early teens, develops at a different rate to 'the norm'. It reminded me of when my parents (both sadly late now) started to do long term fostering of kids when my brother and I were older and Paul came into our lives. I think he must have been around 12 or in his early teens. When I think of him I see extra hugs, extra big smiles, extra time our wonderful dad spent with him helping him understand important basic things like how to manage his daily money, time, and how the world at large might interpret his extra big hugs, extra free spontaneity and extra kisses. We learnt the value of differences. Paul brought so many more extra things into our lives than his extra chromosome. Here's to the extras: our embracing and appreciating them.