Before we walk- Reunions in London (Scotland to come)

So happy to see the family. First the London crew: Chris, Jon, Adam and Louis. Jon picked us up at Gatwick after our really easy flight on Norwegian Air- a non stop on a clean new plane.

Arriving on Friday meant that we had time to be lazy with the the family for a couple of unusually snowy days in Brentwood-which is in the outskirts of London. Poor Chris was getting over the flu but managed to socialize with us despite that. And we got to celebrate her birthday with her- me for the first time even though I have known her since she was 16. That was really nice. We also visited a fun escape room where Louis works and manages to get free just in the nick of time. Lots of laughs during that event. We also got to hear about Adam’s scout Jamboree in West Virginia in 2019. So nice to hear about his fundraising and the excitement of the planning.

While sitting around their cozy living room somehow a little talk of the political situation in the USA is unavoidable, yet I find comfort in being around other global thinkers. The turmoil in the USA is astounding and disconcerting for people everywhere and I expect that people I meet with have something to say about it all. For the most part I hope to rid myself of the nauseating American political scene but my larger goal in creating this blog is to be authentic, show my vulnerability, struggles and challenges. With that in mind, I need to acknowledge the toll the past year and a half has taken on me. Letting go of all of the thoughts and angst I carry with me from living in Trump’s America will be one of the big emotional challenges I am facing. I hope that the mindfulness techniques I use at home and teach others prove helpful. I just have to remember to take my own advice and practice what I preach.

Along with working on letting this all go for a while I know that I need to remember what I have learned about myself through this; that it is important for me to speak up for what I believe in and do so confidently, respectfully and assertively. So if people bring up the topic I will have to engage on some level. I will try not to be the one to bring it up and see how that goes. I consciously deleted any news apps (except for local news) and will turn my phone off except for emergencies and for time writing this blog.

I expect I will only have to speak about politics as a small part of my experience when I walk with Colin and the other “pilgrims”. Hopefully this reawakening is mainly a beautiful experience and perhaps my journey will facilitate a much needed and appreciated rebooting of my mind and spirit and will allow me to refocus solely on positive energy and love. I’ll let you know how that is going along the way.

I have no doubt that you, my readers, will support me in expressing my true and raw emotions. That will probably make for a more interesting and authentic blog, after all. As I walk these many miles I am sure I will be telling you all about my external bruises and blisters but I hope you are open to hearing about any internal emotional bruises as well and what I learn about life along the way.

Our visit to Scotland and our walking prep post to come very soon. Colin is looking up information about some potential strikes in France. That may affect our travels since we plan to start the trip in Biarritz. Stay tuned and check back soon if interested.