Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Done.


There are moments. There are moments when the prism of perspective is forgotten and disjointed snapshots, abandoned memories, success and failures, hopes and disappointments coalcesce and combine and become one. There are moments when life pulls the puzzle pieces together and you stand in awe of creation. There are moments.

I lay next to Breckan while a shepard sings a call to prayer. The notes, weighted by faith, slide over the stone hovels and green valleys and smoulder on the mountains before lifting into the darkening night. And stars begin to break through the ice blue sky and cliffs are illuminated by a still unseen moon and the old voice continues to lift the song as he paces on a stone wall and sings to all the good and bad and great and wicked about life.

And my past feels like my future and my future feels less important and I think of the stifling humidity of laos. The sand and dirt and wind and snow and ice of China. Of dinners cooked in desperation as temperatures drop well below freezing and the kindness of strangers and frustrations of politics. The chaos of 12 million people moving at once in Lahore. The emptiness of thousands of miles of desert. Of nights spent in barns and in yurts and in abandoned ruins. A picture of my dad. He is young and handsome and his leg is thrown over a bike and he is about to ride away from home and he is 18. His adventure was begining. His life was begining and now he is gone. He looks away past the camera as my grandma stares, disbelieving and little scared, at the photographer. And I am my fathers son.

And I think of my shuddering sleeping babies and the stories I will tell them and the stories they will tell their children. Stories of cultures now abandoned and long destroyed ancient cities and men riding horses until the animals hearts explode with effort. Stories of freedom and stories of Breckan riding higher than they have ever walked. Stories of weeks without showers, and border gaurds with guns aimed and ready to shoot and yak doctors who were married at 13 year old. And pashtun warriors and Tibetan nomads. Women with coral in their hair and proud men riding over plains with the wind in theirs.

There are moments when stories and memories and experiences become your story and your memory and your experience. There are moments the nagging of doubt disappear. The song has now ceased. And now it is silent and her breathing is shallower becasue she is asleep and the yellow gas lamps are extinguished in the stone houses. It is dark now and only weak shadows, cast by the moon, stand apart. And this is who you are.


I really hope everyone has enjoyed this blog. I've had a lot of fun writing it. Breck and I head back to the states in two or three days and are probably going to switch back to http://www.breckandspencer.blogspot.com/. I think the rest of our pakistan pictures and most of our edited pictures will end up over there as well. Thanks for all the support. There were seriously quite a few days when the idea that there were people who cared about this kept us going. So I guess that's it.

14 comments:

  1. this post and the one where you talked about marrying breck in the fall, stand out. good job on the ride. see you when you get back.

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  2. i'm very sad that your journey (and the blog) are over. even though i didn't comment that much, i really enjoyed every post and think you guys are the coolest.

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  3. Great post. I am excited to see you both when you return. What you've done is absolutely amazing.

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  4. I sure enjoyed following your adventure...Glad you guys made it safely through your journey! I love all your pictures!

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  5. Adventures never end Spence..one just merges into another.
    Nice post....however, just one thing...Your dad was never handsome :) That was my job.

    Hope to see you on your way home,
    Uncle Barry

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  6. Hey Spencer, the greatest adventure of all is still ahead of you and Breckan. I believe that there are a lot more people that followed your blog than you know. Congressman Chaffetz probably checked in now and then. Oh and yes your Dad was a handsome man his whole adult life but always referred to Barry as a real stud! Love Mom

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  7. the door to my home is always welcome to you two. thanks for the proxy adventure.
    jruss

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  8. very stellar adventure. thanks for keeping up so well, I am surprised you were able to document this much even... I look forward to keeping in touch with you and Breck as you settle back into Utah and memories flow... I am headed to my dream (Ladakh) on August 11th for one month. Wish me luck! Hopefully I will have some stories to reciprocate!! take care you two! much love..

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  9. you write so well. thank you for sharing. i am jealous of your experience. i am excited to hear more. you two are pretty great.

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  10. really enjoyed your adventures and good luck back in the states!

    geoff (boston)

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  11. This is Charlie's oldest sister, Jayne. I cried at this last post. Just a little tear. I hope to read your writings in a National Geographic alongside the photos you took. An amazing adventure. Your kids will surely think you are a hero. And Breckan. She rocks.

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  12. I don't recall commenting; however, I've enjoyed reading your and Charlie's blogs in tandem. Combining your perspectives painted almost palpable images of Asia. Thank you. By the way, the law firm I work for (Perkins Coie) recruits at BYU Law for our summer associate program. If you're interested, I’d be happy to talk to you about it. Just let me know. (email: derekpetersen4@gmail.com)

    Derek Petersen

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  13. I'm so sad that your adventure has ended, but I am glad that it ended on such a lovely note. Glad we're keeping in touch, and good luck at BYU.

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  14. Wow. This is such a powerful post. I love your outlook on travel, and I'm looking forward to reading all your past posts.

    Best of luck in whatever comes next.

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