cairo

The king stands like a true royal. Regal and lording over his troops. His troops , a tad too ready to take on a similar enemy. Flanked by the powerful and well armed. The battle will happen in the kings name. Under his watch.
When it’s all over, the King, the queen and their army will all fold into an ornate box that sits in patient wait for the battle to end. There are a few other boxes near the ornate box. Those hold other armies with their kings and queens, whose battles are done, and now awaiting a new hand to move them around. “Yea, it’s the same old chessboard”, says the shopkeeper to me. “ But you can play it in style” he shouts. Trying hard to be beat the din of the Cairo market.

That is an argument that takes me in. Yes, we might fight those battles day in and day out. But could we do it with some style? And style could come from grace. Perhaps elegance. A little bit of compassion. Hmm. Wonder what you think.

What battles are you fighting today?

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She is beautiful. With piercing blue eyes that are intense. I stand there, transfixed at her unbridled elegance and charm. Her wrinkles show up in large numbers when she smiles. She smiles often.
As the busy market in Cairo bustles by, she tells me her story. In broken English accented with an intact spirit.
Of sons, daughters and grand children. She has lead a very happy life, I can tell. She sells trinkets by the roadside.

As I prepare to leave, she takes a key chain from her beautiful collection and thrusts it into my pocket. “For you, my friend”, she says. With a charming smile and a bit of a wink adds, “ The friend who took the time to listen”. I couldn’t have stood there for more than 10 minutes, I think.

I insist on paying.
She insists on giving it to me for free. “Choose the right keys my friend”, she says and moves on.

People, their kindness and their wisdom is available to us always. Travel and discovery are good keys to open doors of the mind.
What roads are you on today?

#travel #traveller #instatravel #instapassport #blogger #travelblogger #blogging #travelinsights #traveladdict #traveltheworld #story #truestory #Cairo #Egypt #people #culture #kindness #wisdom #joy #listening #life #keys #lategrams (at Cairo, Egypt)