Departure

“Everybody has to leave, everybody has to leave their home and come back so they can love it again for all new reasons.” ~Donald Miller

Dear Universe,

It’s hard to believe a month has gone by and I’ll be returning home later today.

When I booked this trip I wondered if a month would be too long. There were moments when it felt like maybe it would be. But overall, I have to say this trip flew by.

I think it’s because I was more laid back in my approach to being here. I took each day as it came and played it by ear. When I did wake up with a plan in mind, it usually got tossed aside for one reason or another so I learned to just go with the flow more.

That’s a good thing! During the year I’m so used to a strict schedule and rigid routine there’s no such thing as playing it by ear. If I did, nothing would get done. So it’s been a nice break to just take things one day at a time and see what you, Universe, had in store.

This led to some fun excursions, unexpected moments and new memoires of London.

Here are some things I got to do this time around, that I didn’t write about:

1. The British Library! The literary geek in me loved this place. I got to see the Magna Carta! And an original manuscript of Beowulf! When I taught this, I used to talk about this manuscript. I saw works by Shakespeare, Marlowe, Wilde and Austen’s early stories. I saw a Koran that dated back to the ninth century as well as the Gutenberg Bible. I saw handwritten lyrics by the Beatles to “Yesterday.” I saw… well, you get it. It was cool!

2. The Bodyguard the musical! Yes, they made this 1992 film starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner into a musical—makes sense with all the music in it and they even incorporated other Whitney songs. A couple of hours of Whitney music? Well worth seeing. Besides, it’s a bit of a tradition that I check out a show based on a girly flick when I am here—Dirty Dancing and Ghost.

3. The British Museum! I had been here before, but on a day when I declared I was open to wherever you took me, I landed there. I headed straight back to the ancient Egyptian section—one of the largest in the world. I never get sick of seeing all the mummies, relics and history of Egyptian culture.

4. Getting back to see my boy Big Ben again. A trip wouldn’t be the same without him.

5. The London Zoo! I’m not ashamed to say it. My jaw literally dropped when I saw a gorilla, tiger, komodo dragon, hippo and pelicans—all first times for me. I felt like a kid again.

6. Going back to the Globe to see Macbeth. Got goose bumps throughout! I was surprised by how many lines I still know by heart, since it’s been a few years since I read it.

So many more highlights and little moments. But maybe my favorite part of this journey? I saw signs every day, everywhere. I took pictures when I could, laughed when I couldn’t, but each time acknowledged your winking eye at me, Universe. Thank you. Always appreciated.