Shukran Qatar

The goodbye is here, or at least for now. What is so good about this place? It’s a desert after all. Dry, humid, dust blowing at your face, hot winds that peel your skin off, what’s so beautiful in this place that makes saying goodbye so hard?

There’s beauty in the beasts on the roads, the mighty land cruisers, the music from the modified mufflers of the classic Lincoln’s as they whir past you like a puff of smoke;

There’s beauty in the vast beaches, the humid winds that envelop around and embrace you, the sweat beads that instantaneously cry, the waves that flap so fast, so often on the shore, each flap perhaps has a story to tell;

There’s beauty in the tall dunes of sand, in the four wheels that cruise on and off them at nights, headlights flashing like tiny stars twinkling along a hill;

There’s beauty in every sunrise, as the light rays pierce out of the horizon, bringing promise, bringing light;

There’s beauty in every sunset, not just the million hues, but the exhaustion of each day that brings hopes for the next dawn;

There’s beauty in the moon that rises and sets in the desert, so close, so bright, spreading warmth, reflecting a million dreams, smiling at the secrets each of our hearts carry to bed;

There’s beauty in the bright sunlight, there’s beauty in pitch darkness, there’s beauty in the sandstorms, in the rains that shower once a year, theres beauty in the cormorants and flamingos that migrate, there’s beauty in the prayers, there’s beauty in every breath we take amidst chaos, amidst uncertainties, and yet exhale wishing we take the next one in. 

Thankful for all the lovely people, lively places and breathtaking moments that make saying goodbye so hard today. 

Onwards and upwards.

Cheers,

Hopie