contentment

friday night, 6th of july. after multiple tube delays, changes, and security checks at the airport, i board the plane to athens. 1 and a half hours delayed, i land at 03:30. panos is waiting at the airport and we go straight out where the rest of the gang is. after a few hours there, at 7.30ish am we are heading home, with all friends from the school years who are in town for chryssa's & socrates' wedding. clear blue skies and heat. we have a laugh, and i take to sleep on the floor, since not all of us fit in the house. just like the old times.

surprisingly, during these few hours of sleep, i had a dream. i dreamt that all my friends from school years and family lived in london with me, and all of this was taking place in london. very nostalgic type of dream, but i wake up in a very pleasant feeling. and realise i have a little more than a day ahead of me to live the rest of this experience.

12ish noon i wake up. i go to my sister's place - see my parents, georgia and dionysis, and have our usual lunch together, and all sorts of discussions and updates. later, we start preparing for the grand event: the wedding itself. by 7pm we are heading to church.

the wedding is great. the couple are very happy, and so is the entire family and all friends who are in church and at the reception to wish them their best. the celebration lasts all night. dancing, talking, drinking, laughing. 5:30 am, after the party is over, we are again heading to the centre, have something to eat and continue talking till 8am over coffee and cigarettes. old friends. just like the old times. not a single day has ever gone by.

all of us have followed such different paths in life and yet all of us - family and friends - time and again, discover that the same connection is still there. and getting stronger by the day.

it is now sunday. after another 4 hours of sleep till noon, again lunch with my close family, and then heading to the airport. last goodbyes, till the next time we meet. it looks surreal, but by the evening i will be in london again, and by morning time i am again in my routine, at work. on the plane i can't keep my eyes open for long.

when i land - i take the tube and head home. all of this seems like a dream. a very pleasant one. but i simply know that it's not a dream. it's as real as it gets, and i couldn't be luckier and happier than that, to have all of these people in my life.

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