With departure from Barcelona rushing up to meet us at the end of August, Andrew and I decided there are a few last ditch adventures we want to squeeze in before be bid adieu to having Europe in our backyard. There is zero chance that we will not be back to visit and roam our favorite haunts again -and explore some we didn’t quite get around to- but with time so short for being able to just pick up and go, we felt compelled by our unceasing wanderlust to do just a few more wanders before the suitcases come out for our transatlantic move.
We have done some daylong hikes in the hills surrounding Barcelona, taken the pups to the mountains for some small town culture, and we have just made an amazing round through London, the Lake District, Edinburgh (Scotland), Dublin (Ireland) and have traversed some of the most green and gorgeous backroads of central and southern Ireland. That last tour is coming to an end tonight…and to be honest, my heart hurts.
Our adventure through the UK and Ireland has been enriched – no, graced with – stops and stays with some of the most loving, compassionate, insightful, and generous hosts who are old friends and brand new ones. There really are no words adequate enough to express what a gift each and every one of these friends have shared with us – their time, their attention, their culture, their home life, their circle of other friends, their food, their washing machines (!!!), their love. I can only hope that we can reciprocate as we land back in the US and bring them the warmth and joy they have given us these last few weeks.
But my heart hurts. I am really looking forward to being closer to my parents, my children, my aunt and uncle, my brother and his family, our dear friends scattered across the US…but I am already mourning the loss of a very different rhythm, a pace different than what I grew up with, an eclectic community that gave us the chance to befriend an incredibly wide variety of people from many countries, speaking many different languages, experience a multitude of different foods, music, culture, social engagements…a tapestry I am afraid might unravel in my state of mind when I am distanced from it. If I have learned one thing about myself in all of this it’s that being just a little bit of a “duck out of water” actually is where I love to be. Just a little out of my element, a tad bit lost, a smidgen outside the norm…a little exotic. I am actually not looking forward to things being too familiar.
I know that my family and friends will be reading this and I truly hope that no offense is taken in what I have just said. I am incredibly excited to be able to break bread with my loved ones regularly…celebrate milestones and share precious everyday moments with each of them…trade stories of what has happened in the intervening months and years for each of us…those things I cannot wait to do. I also want them to understand that there is a part of me that has a wanderlust that cannot be quashed or eliminated – it is part of who I have become. And I married an amazing man nearly 30 years ago who has that very same zest for being just a little off balance. We both have concluded that the journey is often much more interesting than the destination – or at least as much so.
The next few months will be upending, to say the least – and exciting without a doubt. We will be spending some time in Seattle reconnecting with the community that our three children grew up in, have the wonderful opportunity to help scheme in person with Ari and Lauren about their wedding next year, and spend some rich time with dear friends who we have missed so much. We will migrate to Southern California to look for a place to land closer to the rest of our family and enjoy much more than Skype and e-conversations. We will support Eitan’s college launch and see Ruthie dive into her next unpredictable but no doubt successful life chapter. And I am so looking forward to being able to hang out in LA for a few days…a week…many times…and lunch with Mom, watch Dad’s ever-expanding magic trick repertoire, hang with my bro and sister-in-law and trade proud parent stories, spend a relaxing evening with my precious aunt and uncle, and reconnect with friends who we have mutually followed on Facebook and catch up on the tidbits untold in public forums. And in the mix we will get to experience India through a lens of the wedding of a young man we have known since his childhood – and share that celebration with yet another family with a long, shared history. Our cup runneth over.
I cannot complain. My life is rich. I am blessed. I have to acknowledge that one very juicy chapter is coming to an end and another waits to be written. I have to work at letting go of that ache of loss and embrace the experiences of today along with what adventures our future holds.
I know this….
Living La Vida Loca 