When Traveling from Dusk to Dusk, from Snow to Dust

I left the District in a snow storm. I arrived in Kuwait City in a sand storm. My fellow Washingtonians wrapped themselves in mufflers and wool caps. The Kuwaitis went about in surgical masks, with scarves tight around their faces. As storms go, neither was particularly bad. Typical for this time of year. Flurries. However, both capitals on this day presented to me opacity—as much blindness as sensory dullness. I could not see beyond what was in front of me. Atmospheric particles obscured buildings, cars, signs, people. My haze of fatigue from traveling—from dusk to dusk, from snow to dust—left me with bright halos and granular shadows, forcing me to focus on what little I could see. The world became quite small. A good reminder. At the end of the year and at the beginning of a voyage, I should not look too far out, too far ahead. There is work to be done yet. For now, one step at a time.