Getting to Know Me

Yes, I wore my comfortable old blue jeans in a fashionable district of London but that's just the way I am. Some things never change.

During my extended blog leave last fall, I did something quite out of character. With the enthusiastic support and encouragement of family and friends I took a rather spur of the moment trip to London, England. Although I had the company of a very close friend for the first few days and (emergency) back-up via a blogging acquaintance who resides there, I was essentially on my own for five days.

This was a tremendous milestone in my (for lack of a better term) new life. I’d always wanted to return to England since last there at the age of twenty-one but had never envisioned myself crossing the ocean to visit this beautiful city on my own.

Never say never.

Making the decision to go was like accepting a dare, seizing an opportunity for change and challenging myself. What a tremendous sense of accomplishment to have done all three.

My time in London was wonderful – both in terms of knowledge gained about myself and regarding all I saw and did. I checked out the usual tourist sites, walked for miles (well, it seemed like miles), met, spoke and laughed with some great people (only a few whackos) and experienced a very special moment of wonder and clarity while in Trafalgar Square.

As a woman walked by she turned to me with a big smile and said, “Have a lucky day, luv.”

Not a good day or a nice day but a lucky day.

And that sunk in. I was lucky. I was in London – a place I thought I’d never see again – sitting and enjoying the sun and the fascinating crowds of people in Trafalgar Square after having just seen an amazing Annie Leibovitz exhibit at The National Portrait Gallery. It actually all felt a bit surreal. (Okay, so reality did intrude - I’d had to move once to get away from some guy who chose me as his audience for a political harangue about the insidious evils of communism invading England but that was easily done.)

Would I take such a trip again? Not sure. I’m really not an Eat, Pray, Love kind of adventurous soul.

But to have actually done it? To have learned that I am capable of doing such a thing on my own? That was a treasured, valuable gift this trip provided beyond anything London itself could offer.

Of course I visited The British Library and, no, I was not picking my nose.