Adieu, Dear London
"NO MINUTE GONE COMES EVER BACK AGAIN
TAKE HEED AND SEE YE NOTHING DO IN VAIN"
I read those words while standing in front of Liberty of London just three weeks ago. What a sad yet wonderful turn of phrase. How thoughtful I've been since then.
It's hard for me to admit but traveling is not something I truly enjoy. My head thinks I will love the adventure, the new sights...but my heart aches for home.
Such was the case in London. The city is loud and busy and filled to the brim with adventure. For a quiet, country mouse like me, it was overwhelming.
Immersed in a new city, I can't seem to remember why I wanted to travel in the first place. I miss my home and my friends. I try to make the best of it, to live in the moment. Unfortunately, I often find living in the moment to be nearly impossible.
It's only once I'm home that I begin to appreciate all I saw, all that I experienced. I read a book and can imagine how a person might have felt, having stood where she once stood.
I see a flower garden near my house and it pales in comparison to the most beautiful wildflowers I have ever seen.
I eat dinner in front of the tv and remember quiet picnics with Ian in Kensington Gardens.
What I never seem to realize until much later is that I always leave a piece of my heart behind. My life is better, richer, fuller for having traveled someplace new, I am better.
I must try harder to remember that no minute gone comes ever back again. Next time I will give my heart, not just leave it behind.
TAKE HEED AND SEE YE NOTHING DO IN VAIN"
I read those words while standing in front of Liberty of London just three weeks ago. What a sad yet wonderful turn of phrase. How thoughtful I've been since then.
It's hard for me to admit but traveling is not something I truly enjoy. My head thinks I will love the adventure, the new sights...but my heart aches for home.
Such was the case in London. The city is loud and busy and filled to the brim with adventure. For a quiet, country mouse like me, it was overwhelming.
Immersed in a new city, I can't seem to remember why I wanted to travel in the first place. I miss my home and my friends. I try to make the best of it, to live in the moment. Unfortunately, I often find living in the moment to be nearly impossible.
It's only once I'm home that I begin to appreciate all I saw, all that I experienced. I read a book and can imagine how a person might have felt, having stood where she once stood.
I see a flower garden near my house and it pales in comparison to the most beautiful wildflowers I have ever seen.
I eat dinner in front of the tv and remember quiet picnics with Ian in Kensington Gardens.
What I never seem to realize until much later is that I always leave a piece of my heart behind. My life is better, richer, fuller for having traveled someplace new, I am better.
I must try harder to remember that no minute gone comes ever back again. Next time I will give my heart, not just leave it behind.