Live and Learn

Sometimes I feel like the universe is conspiring FOR me.

Boy do I feel sheepish.  I return to this blog like a dog coming home with his tail between his legs.  Just yesterday I blogged about how frustrated I was with my luck.  And today, I am doing the exact opposite: the tables have turned, the sun is shining once again and blessings have been poured on my head.  Sorry I complained! I'll never do it again! (Or maybe I will, if it means the payback I will get the next day is like it was today.)

You know your day is going to go well when you go to take a final and the teacher announces you can pick up your 40 pound refund (the equivalent of 60 US dollars) when you finish the exam.  Consequently, you know the sun is smiling down on you when you've had no credit card, no money, and have been running up debts with your friends for the past week.  I still thank heavens for that 40 pounds I now have in my pocket.  I refuse to spend it.  (Maybe this brief haitus between having money and not having money has been a good learning experience for me.  I really really appreciate having money right now.)

Next, you know it's going to be a fantastic day when you get to spend it one-on-one with a best friend, in a beautiful city, among famously beautiful landmarks.  (Think Breanne Briggs, in London, at Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament.) I have been dying to see Westminster this entire trip--POETS CORNER.  I mean, I'm an English major.  That was heavenly.  And guess what?! Poets corner wasn't even the best part of my day, even though I was pointing out Wordsworth, Tennyson, Browning, Shelley, Keats, Byron and Dickens like a child counting presents on Christmas morning.

What could possibly have been better than poets corner, you might ask? Well, it was the person I walked past minutes before it.  I was walking out of one of the many small chapels at Westminster Abbey, when I realized there was a subtle increase in security and herding of tourists.  I saw a large group of people walk discreetly past, and I thought for one brief moment, "Whoa.  I could've sworn I just saw Michelle Obama.  Weird."  We walked on and into another small alcove of a chapel.  Then we got shut inside by an Abbey usher in a red robe.  Luckily there were windows in this chapel, so when the first lady walked by this time we got a really good look.  It was definitely her! She looked right in our direction.  Bre and I were definitely going crazy.  And might I say, Michelle Obama looked very classy.  I don't particularly love President Obama or his family, but still.  I SAW THE FIRST LADY! From 20 feet away at one of the coolest places in the world!

Sometimes the stars do align in your favor.

After seeing the rest of Westminster Abbey, which sadly paled in comparison to our encounter with Mrs. Barack Obama, we walked into the final chapel.  We each took candles, lit them, and said a prayer.  That moment was what my friend Bre likes to call a bliss moment.  Because everything about my day was already so perfect, it could only be made better by lighting a candle and praying in Westminster Abbey.  By that point, my day was so great that I bowed my head with tears in my eyes, thanking my Father in Heaven for that perfect moment, and for the many other perfect moments I have had this trip.  

Then, we walked around to take in the last of Big Ben and the London Eye.  We walked down a London street to do one of my favorite things: eat.  We had delicious sandwiches and enjoyed nice, tall, diet cokes. With lemons.  If you know me at all, you'll know that a diet coke alone can make me smile.

Then, Bre and I walked back to our flat, grabbed some European chocolate to finish our meal (my overindulgence in chocolate here is getting pretty bad!), and walked over to Hyde Park to see Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens.  I was so happy at this point that I wanted to cartwheel and or leap, dance, do aerials or back-handsprings in the grass.  (I've noticed that this happens when I'm in really good moods and in beautiful places. It's like all this pent up energy inside just wants to get out, and that's the only way I can think to do it.) But the play was fantastic! It made me feel like a kid again.  I watched Peter, Wendy, Tink, Michael and John get hoisted into the air and fly across London and I did believe in fairies yet again.  After the play, we walked through Hyde Park and saw Peter Pan's statue while sitting on a bench J.M. Barrie was said to have written from.  We got home from the play and made fajitas together.  Perfect ending to a perfect day--with food. 

So this day is just a snapshot--one of many perfect days that I've had here in Europe.  These days have taught me that life is about living in the moment.  Sometimes you just need to take a step back to take life in.  Whatever it is you are doing, appreciate it.  Whether you're enjoying one-on-one time with a friend, or walking through a city and enjoying its general splendor, or you're lighting a candle and saying a prayer, let all these moments speak profound truths, because they do.  Whether we appreciate them or not, these small moments are the ones that compose our lives.  Make them count!