For this week's AD, I went to Africa

I really didn't think I'd have time this week for an AD. I'm not home this weekend as I'm heading to Madera (near Fresno, in the complete middle of California) to help my Mom watch my two nieces and help prevent self-induced hair loss on her part.

So I was just about to give up. Then in the middle of my workday, in between client sites and offsite meetings, I found I had an extra couple hours. I decided to make a side trip to Office Depot to search for the Right Pen and then make my AD a walk through the IKEA showroom.

Not the most exciting AD, but maybe they are not about being exciting. Maybe it's about something else.

So I meander to the pen aisle at Office Depot, in search of the pen I "borrowed" from one of my client's supply closet and since have enjoyed the speed at which ink flows out of this papermate medium point but alas, they don't carry it. I tried writing with at least seven different pens but nothing could compare to the pen I stole. Albeit, I stole the pen from my client site because I wanted to see if it was morning pages-worthy. It was.

Then I drove across the parking lot into the giant IKEA parking structure. I bought myself a hot dog and then went up to the showroom.

About this time you're wondering about Africa, right? When do I get to Africa? I'm almost there, just a second.

I have wandered through half of the store, trying to go slowly with the ultimate luxury of not actually shopping for anything and not having my toddler in a cart. I walk through the mini-apartments and note with a smile that all of the books are in Swedish. I am heading through all the chairs and sit in one that looks like a spiderweb wrapped around a metal frame.

Then the intro to U2's "Beautiful Day" began to play just as I was walking into a kitchen with long cala lilly lights casting circles onto a kitchen island.

I close my eyes and I am back in Botswana, Africa. It is September 2002 and I am watching elephants saunter in a long line a quarter mile away from our open Land Rover. The day is dry and dusty, as to be expected this season before the rains come. I am wearing dusty khaki shorts, an olive green and white striped t-shirt and hiking boots.

Beautiful Day plays on my cd player headphones, I am hiding behind the music so I don't have to talk to anyone for a little while. This one time I decided to not take photos - I have so many elephant photos after 20 days in Africa I don't need anymore.

This time I will just watch, record in my mind two dozen elephants walking past with beauty and grace while my ears are hearing U2's Beautiful Day.

This happens everytime I hear this song - every time my thoughts go inward and I see elephants - trunks and tails swinging and large round gray feet rising in falling in time with the music.

I thought my AD was going to IKEA, but someone in charge in the Universe decided I was going to Botswana instead.