We’ve been home for a few days now. The cats weren’t too mad and fell quickly back into their routines (humans, lap, now!). Our homecoming was more shocking than our departure. Living out of a backpack was a reminder of how little stuff I needed. Decluttering our home is my next project.
In the UK, we visited the Churchill War Rooms, old graveyards, The Britannia, Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace. I even had the opportunity to see ABBA Voyage, my first ever hologram concert. This concert requires its own post, which I may or may not get around to writing. This is the future people, see it while you can!!!
We stayed with friends who graciously hosted us for 2.5 weeks in London. The inconveniences caused by the train strike kept us mainly in their neighborhood. It was an opportunity to explore a part of London we would otherwise never have. We visited the pubs, admired the beautiful homes, browsed the charity shops and visited St. Mary’s Church. Chris and I were introduced to Dobble, one of the best games ever to be created. We played Dobble most nights after enjoying home cooked meals. Diane and I tried to replicate meals our mothers made while Marko and Chris contributed their specialty dishes.
For New Year’s Eve, we made our way up to Edinburgh where more friends joined us. There is something special about NYE in Edinburgh that pulls us back. Our last celebration was in 2020. It was very surreal to return and reflect on how drastically life had changed.
One of the many questions I had on the trip was whether the world was ending. No, it is not. Empires and civilizations may collapse, but humanity will prevail. I came back with a renewed sense of optimism, a feeling that I had very little of when I left. Despite the conflict and hardships, the people we met were warm, welcoming, generous and very helpful.
The last four months have been an educational, eye-opening and life changing. The time to step back and reflect was much needed after the last few years. While I don’t have all the answers or can say with confidence what I’ll be doing next, I came home with clarity on how I want to spend my time or how to not spend it.
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