What's better than a jukebox? And better than having a DJ on demand? I’ll tell you what - your very own Mr Pianoman who plays every song you dream of with such soul, pizzazz, and feeling that makes you feel fully present and nostalgic at the same time. While sipping wine!
I'm with a wonderful Finnish colleague on a weekend trip with the theme "luxury and adventure". We've booked two nights at a resort in Kakheti, Georgia's eastern wine country. And Saturday turns out to be the perfect day, the kind you see in movies and think, "No way all that happens in one day - Hollywood humbug!". The day starts with morning meditation, a royal breakfast, poolside-chilling-and-dippin, followed by paddleboating on the lake (with smuggled wineglasses from the room to drink our sparking wine with class). My JBL speaker blasts music that travels over the lake as the raindrops start beating on the water, forming lovely patterns and soaking us with summer rain. Amazing! Yes yes I’m drunk. And wet.
We find our way to a local winery for wine tasting with a driver named Sasa. He’s larger than life (in circumference and personality) and serenades us in the car to Georgian folk music with his rich voice. He screeches the car to a halt when we see a massive rainbow on the sky and scream stop!!! Hot bikini weather sunshine, summer rain and rainbow followed by a magnifican sunset – all in one day?! Am I on set in Hollywood?!
Our evening ends on a veranda spellbound by Mr Pianoman. And oh what an evening we have! We follow the sound of music till we discover a cozy but almost empty restaurant. “Let's just have one glass of wine here” we say, but we don’t move for hours. He plays every song we request before we even finish saying the name and artist. He’s faster than searching Spotify. He’s pure piano magic. The music is passionate, soulful and sentimental. I’m transported to so many memories (mostly happy ones but even the sad ones make me feel like “a natural woman”). We drink endless glasses of wine and sing our own karaoke (not sure Mr. Pianoman appreciated that). Some young guys invite us to slow dance. And I just love slow dance (ok, not just with anyone, but slow dancing with a nice man has got to be one of my favourite things, especially if it’s with someone I’m attracted to!). “Dance every chance you get” is my new motto. I feel so alive.
But life is all about contrasts. The next morning I receive work instructions which requires me to leave the resort early and travel home to pack and drive to Gori where I’m rostered to go on patrol very early the next morning. I check into a little guest house late and check out before sunrise, dressed for an expedition with enough packed food for an army (my response to teasing colleagues is, “I’m a mom”). The Mission is in crisis mode, responding to the escalating tensions and conflict. It’s requiring staff from all our locations to redeploy to support our Gori office in patrolling 24/7 to monitor and observe along the disputed boundary line between Georgia and South Ossetia. This is our job, this is why we’re here. I’m in high spirits. Feeling motivated.
I’m pleasantly surprised to bump into friends (“hey what are you doing here?!”) and we savor the opportunity to catch up. I make new friends (such lovely colleagues, and some odd ones too)! I drive through extreme off-road terrain and I absolutely love it! Jag tackar for compliments from my Team Leader, an older German police who also happens to be an off-road-driving-instructor. After a day patrolling in the dark and cold forest (yes it rained all day) and talking to security actors a few of us meet up for dinner and debriefing. It’s dark when I drive back to Tbilisi to my new favorite song from Mando Diao, “Love last forever”, and when I get home I fall asleep without taking a shower. From luxury to mud-patrolling. But always to a soundtrack. THIS is life!
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