Well, here I am, at the airport again.
In my experiences with travel I’ve found that it never fails to change me in some way.
Often it’s a new perspective on a broader world. Always it’s a renewed reminder of the blessings of home.
This trip to Dublin has been all that and more in ways that are immediatly apparent to me, and some which I imagine will take time to fully realize.
This is the first time I have traveled internationally on my own. Being in a country where the language was the same and the customs similiar made it quite comfortable.
Still the different cloquialisms used by the Irish defintely came to light at my book signing and the writers festival.. For instance, it took me several tries to describe American football (of course I bragged on the Bills!) There were also the variations on their food offerings/meals that often left me ordering side dishes over entrees.
I will say it seemed as if every restaurant had chicken wings on the menu, with the wait staff continually offering them as one of their most a popular dishes. Honoring my hometown heritage, I would always smile and politicely decline with the response, “I’m sorry. I’m from Buffalo, NY, home of the chicken wing. I couldn’t order wings in Ireland!”
Physically, I’m coming home stronger. I didn’t rent a car while in Dublin. Aside from one late night Uber, I walked every where I went for six days, sometimes pulling along a suitcase of books. After a debilitating car accident in 2019, I took great satisfaction everyday in being able to do those things.
Mentally, I feel as if my brain has been energized by the demands of following maps, getting lost, trusting total strangers to help me find my way, becoming more aware of an international life perspective through Irish television and newspapers, and MOST SIGNIFICANTLY—-not losing one single thing!
Yet I think it’s my heart and soul that this Dublin journey has most deeply impacted
I learned that I can do anything—-by myself—-both in my mind and my body. And that no matter my age, I am relevant—-not just in my hometown where people have known me for all of my life, but thousands of miles away where my only connection to the irish community are ancestors from generations ago.
And finally, my Dublin Journey taught me that cobblestone lanes and heels are not friends. And no matter where I go, there will always be a TJ/TK Maxx! All in all, a pretty great journey.
Thanks Dublin. Now on to South Dakota!