It’s somewhat like an infectious sting.  First there’s the bite.  It comes quick and unexpectedly.  Then the itch starts and soon comes the burn.  All you can think about is finding relief. 

You treat it with time and money, attention and love, music and rum, but somehow it spreads into your whole being.  It seems to increase in severity.  It deepen it’s impact on your whole life.  Everything starts to seem less important in comparison to the infection running through your veins. 

All thoughts and actions start to revolve around finding some relief from the pain. It can leave a deep scar on your life, and if you’re lucky, it’s a scar that has softened you.  It is a scar that seeks always to find you and remind you of the things that matter the most in life. 

This is the infectious sting of Cuba.