Do you ever have a surreal moments in your life? Its been aaaaages since I've had one, but I had to stop and take it all in! I wish I had my camera to help describe this moment becuase i have a feeling my words won't be enough. So here it goes....
Last Wednesday I was in Shannon airport heading for the UK, while still airside I saw a man who looked very familiar talking with a young Irish woman. As i got closer i could hear what he was saying in his american accent "sorry mam, but I don't know you", she said "but you look so familiar". Just what i was thinking. And then I realised I knew who he was. It was Martin Sheen. And the funny thing is (my) Martin and I were talking about him the night before. He was quoted on the Irish news as saying "Acting is what I do for a living, activism is what I do to stay alive." Cool or what!
Did you know while he was in Ireland studying in NUI he signed a petition in support of the Shell to Sea campaign? He was also quoted discussing the action group against the war in Iraq who damaged a US military plane that had stopped over at Shannon in 2003.... uncanny!?
So there was me all chuffed, after seeing him here in Shannon. I went through security to airside, walked through the small duty free section and as I rounded the corner what i saw next was the most surreal moment of my life that I had to stop and take all in.... every where i looked were american military in uniform, and i mean every where i looked. I've often seen them here as they pass through but not this many. There must have been a couple of hundred of these figures... in every corner, on every seat, at every table (except mine)...
EVERYWHERE! It
was like a scene from a surreal David Lynch movie. I still can't believe it and so wished I had a camera to capture this moment.
It wasn't until I came home, relaxed and removed all thoughts of work that I connected the whole scene. How uncanny, how surreal, one moment there was Martin Sheen the activist and then there was a couple hundred military... I'm glad they didn't meet!