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8. Day 24: Ancient (& Modern) Tourist Lore
It was rather thrilling to be standing in front of the possible grave of a person of great historical interest, namely King Arthur. That he may or may not have existed is entirely beside the point. Or maybe that is my point. We were standing in the threshold of the Lady Chapel at the Abbey at Glastonbury chatting with two locals on “King Arthur: Myth Or Mystery?” Apparently it is thought that the legend of King Arthur is based in some facts of actual persons but the legend itself was started by locals hundreds of years ago to...
read more8. Day 23: To Glastonbury & Beyond!
To really dive head first into experiencing Not-Knowing I recommend driving in a foreign country. There is nothing like it. To really cement the true feeling of NOT KNOWING it is best to drive really fast in a country where few speed limits are posted and your car has both miles and kilometers marked and you can’t actually tell what speed you are driving anyway. To further enrich the moment it is best if you can’t tell your right from your left and when you are turning onto the motorway you can’t quite remember which side of the road you...
read more8. Day 22: Not-Knowing So Far…
As I flowed with the crowds exiting the Bakerloo Line to get to the Circle Line I could hear hundreds of all kinds of voices in animated conversation, then I heard the barest strain of something different. A tune, a melody of guitar and mouth organ that became louder with each step. It was a haunting Irish tune that became stronger and more discernible as we neared the musician busking. In the moments it took to pass, the music was all I could hear and the voices seemed to fall away in my awareness. Both music and voices were present and...
read more8. Day 21: Homing Device
Today, in the middle of the British Museum, for no apparent reason, I had a wave of longing for home wash over me. Instead of brushing it off or telling myself “But there is so much here to delight in!” I let the feelings flow through me. I could feel myself sinking into my sofa at home, my corgi sitting next to me and I nearly wept. There is nothing here I want to avoid, and nothing in particular I was missing but the feeling of longing for home was palpable. This feeling of home in my heart is what calls us all home. Home is...
read more8. Day 20: The Speed Of Darkness
The sun set at 4:07 pm today. Even at noon the sun is low in the sky. There is just not lots of light compared to what I am used to in California, we are much farther north than I realized. This lack of light and early darkness is bringing an unexpected benefit. It slows us down even further. My husband is Australian and we often joke, even in California, that if a cloud passes in front of the sun he wilts or falls asleep. So when 4:30 pm rolls around and the sun has disappeared we automatically start slowing down and looking for the...
read more8. Day 19: Silence & Simplicity
I love that I keep getting plenty of opportunity to extend love to Not-Knowing…….by not knowing how our holidays (or the afternoon) will unfold. It seems both completely unreal and completely natural that we are here, in London, living in a little cottage near Notting Hill Gate station. We buy groceries at Tesco, go to Boots for a new flat iron (I decided when mine burnt the handkerchief I was holding it with because it was so hot, it was time to go native) and we walk everywhere. Yet there are many times we feel displaced and...
read more8. Day 18: Wonder, Marvel & Curiousity
It is more obvious, when you are away from home that your inner life is your true center. I continue to check in within my heart because that is really all I can do. I can’t consult a friend, or watch TV or even have quiet time in familiar surroundings. But I can get quiet and be still and breathe mindfully anywhere, any time. Being in a large city is different in itself. It is a walking culture rather than a driving culture (even the prams, coats and bags reflect this). I have been continuously grateful for my preparation started...
read more8. Day 17: There’s No Place Like Home
I had a very unsettling experience yesterday. After a wonderful last lunch with our reunion friends at the Victory Services Club we headed out across Hyde Park for a brisk walk in the fresh air and drizzle. Though we were still a bit weary from our big evening the night before the walk felt good. We passed Speakers Corner where several “speakers” were gathered to discuss taxes, how objects can own us, and singing hymns to Jesus. We walked along the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Walk through stretched acres of green, damp...
read more8. Day 16: The Queen’s Keys
I got a tiny glimpse of what heaven might be like yesterday. It is history, privilege, gratitude, wonder and reunion. It is art, silver, medals for valor and welcome. It is gathering, eating and drinking and applause. It is full and complete satisfaction,wholeness, full circle and return. And joy. Joy and “pinch me is this real?” delight. It is all these things and more. In 1983 my husband did a Long Armor Infantry Course in Bovington, England for the year. It was a year that changed the course of our lives, as overseas...
read more8. Day 15: The Luxury Of Ordinary
The biggest surprise so far in our sojourn in London is just how satisfied we both are doing the ordinary things. We still are waking at Midnight for a time then going back to bed at 2am. I welcome this middle of the night time of quiet togetherness. We tend to each read or write quietly, just sitting in the same room in silence with no immediate meeting imminent is itself a gift. We are discombobulated by the rapid change of fortune from working every minute to this thing called time off. That it takes getting used to is the surprise....
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