My physical journey is coming to a close as
I write this once again at Heathrow airport, now waiting for my return flight
home to Vancouver. It has been the most remarkable month where I am finding it
difficult to assemble all my thoughts in order to process them into words here
on my blog. I have embraced every moment of the past month cherishing all the experiences
I have had and shared with others. I return home now eager for the physical
space of my home and my routine, but with the knowledge that the effects of the
past month will continue to reverberate within me for a long time to come.
But first, what of my week in Dublin…
I would encourage you to return briefly to
my posts from May
2013 and January 2008
where I reflect on my relationship with Ireland and with Dublin in particular. Dublin
has held so many important life moments for me over the years, Dara and I lived
there together as adults, I completed secondary school there, I did my first
Masters at Trinity, I rediscovered swimming, I rose in love, and I survived the
bicycle accident which has shaped so much since. The energy of the city does
and will continue to flow within my eternal energy wherever I go. But my
relationship with Dublin has shifted somehow. I sensed the beginnings of the
transition this past December, and being in the same physical space this past
week was an interesting experienced as I acknowledge the true depth of the
process. Dublin will forever be a part of my soul but it is no longer my home.
I held on for so many years to the threads of memories of my life there as I
struggled through a difficult period, but as those binds loosen so too have the
restraints of not being able to be fully in the present.
My trip to Dublin this time was about
people, as a lot of the past month has been. The main focus was spending time
with my absolutely exquisite niece and her wonderful parents. To witness Dara
being such a phenomenal mother makes me heart sing, and the only regret is that
Jo isn’t physically here to witness the beauty of it. To share the daily
moments that Quinn has with her parents and to be a part of them for a brief
moment was truly gratifying. The many friends I have made in Ireland continue
to be like an extended family to me, and I am so truly blessed to sit across a
table from them all, share a glass of wine, a meal or a coffee and pick up our
conversation as if there did exist a physical distance between us. Of course,
there is also the comfort of family in Ireland and its familiarity which has
been a part of my life for decades. Especially my aunt Kay whose generous heart
has brought such comfort in difficult times over the past four and a half
years.
The best way to present Dublin this past
week is through my favourite moments:
-
Just being with my niece Quinn –
cooking her sausages, chatting with her, going to Dublin Zoo with her, being
enthralled by her curiosity and aptitude for life.
-
Laughing so freely with Dara
and Tarek over ridiculous things
-
Sharing dinner with Dara,
Caitriona and Gillian all together in the same space for the first times in
years. Hearing them talk about their three little girls and feeling so appreciative
that I am a part of all their lives even from a distance.
-
Sitting in KC Peaches on
Stephen’s Green with Caitriona and Gillian just smiling because we were there
together
-
Sleeping in the same bed I
slept in at Christmas time feeling the lightness that the past eight months
have continued to nurture
-
Eating black pudding for seven
days straight – I had to leave before my arteries became clogged with butter
and fat!
-
Taking Tarek to see Roddy Doyle’s
“The Snapper”
-
Enjoying dinner and drinks with
Alyson, Jo and Ruanne and chatting for hours
-
Dinner at Kay’s house with family
and seeing lots of other family over the course of the week
-
A Saturday night on the town
with my birthday twin Frances and witnessing the immenseness of her energy and
knowing her present is wonderfully positive
-
Feeling a bounce in my step as
I scoured the familiar streets of Dublin City Centre
I am homeward bound dear blog reader. My posts
may be fewer in number, at least for the immediate future, but I promise I will
continue to write. I will write about life’s wonderful present because the sweetness
of today is known while tomorrow is an unknown and outside of my control.
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| The customary coffee and Butlers chocolate when departing Dublin |
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