Oct 19: From Reading, England: activities and contemplation

Hi there! At my friend Chrissy's now for what will definitely be the easiest part of the vacation, here referred to as 'being on holiday'. I got here last night after a few communication difficulties. Chrissy and her two daughters, Katie & Michelle, met me at the train station and it was wonderful to see a familiar face--I'm deliberately excluding her daughters as I haven't seen them for over three years and they were totally unrecognizable to me!

Saturday I did some more shopping--Glastonbury has received a major boost in their economy from me! Found the only supplier of local geodes. Apparently there is only one quarry in the Mendips (hills? mountains?) nearby that yields any crystals, and it is on private land. The owner of one of the Glastonbury shops has exclusive rights to the stones, which are called 'potato stones' for their outward appearance. When broken open they have lovely smokey-colored crystals. Since this area is renowned for it's long-standing spiritual significance I was delighted to find this supply. So now I'm lugging rocks around in my luggage! Also got an extra-special gift for my friend & tenant Marilyn, who is watching all 4 cats plus the foster kitty for over two weeks--that deserves something terrific. (Especially since Chester greets her with his usual lousy manners.) Then went to Glastonbury Abbey. I won't bore you with the details (you can always google), but this is a very old and then renovated in the 1400s abbey which was partially destroyed by fire in addition to Henry VIII and Cromwell, leaving dramatic ruins. The sun made it's now-typical appearance in the late afternoon, casting wonderful light and shadows--lots of pictures. Then had a nice dinner at an Italian restaurant (one of the only non-vegetarian places in town) and returned to the B&B for rest and packing.

Yesterday, while long, was very good. After checking out of my B&B then wheeling my luggage around to the backyard for storage, I proceeded back to Chalice Well. It is just so lovely there, very peaceful. The gardens are still beautiful and since it was morning the light was totally different than the late afternoon when I was there two days before. Different people get different feelings, and this is definitely the place that resonates with me the most. After going to the Well and sitting for a while, I went to another spot and just sat and read for well over an hour. Time flew, and it was soon over two hours. Brief stop into the shop where I bought a set of meditation/prayer beads made of various gorgeous blue stones, which I dipped in the Well water for an extra blessing. Then walked back, past the B&B and into town. Had lost my sunglasses, happily they were found at the Abbey. Back-tracked for my still-heavy luggage (now actually including a rock collection!) and negotiated the bus and train system without April's assistance. Got to the station at 6:03 (they are VERY on time with the public transport here), then to Chrissy's house.

Today, after Chrissy's three kids went to school, we drove about an hour to Avebury, another stone circle that is not as well known as Stone Henge. It's very large, there is actually an entire town built in the middle of the circle. The stones were a surprise, the outer ones were much larger than I had thought. No commercialization, really. It's so casual that there are cows grazing around the stone processional way, and then a lot of sheep around the stones in the circles. This sounds quaint as anything, but it was a significant challenge to avoid all their droppings. (Apparently sheep missed the manual about not eating where you poop--it's all over the place.) After a quick lunch we got back into town in time to pick the kids + two up, then to a nice park on the River Thames. Multiple waterfowl now expect humans to feed them, so a few dozen ducks, mallards, Canadian and other geese--even two swans--swim over and look at you expectantly. We saw a huge crayfish, a lot of minnows and the local clay, which apparently makes lovely mud pies.

I'm absolutely exhausted today and pretty sore, so this more relaxed pace (not to mention being chauffered around) is a welcome respite. In the next two days we'll go to Windsor Castle and then a day trip around Chrissy's area so she can show me some not-on-the-map places she enjoys. Then onto London, which will involve more walking and exertion, but after several days of recuperation. I may not post again until after return to the States, will see if the literary muse visits me again.

I've been referring to this trip as my 'Victory Tour', and it really is. While the foot is still sore at night, and the chest hurts from lugging the suitcase yesterday, on the whole I'm just delighted with how much I've been able to do. As referenced previously, while you have to accept that things will never be the same as they were 'before', over time you adjust to the 'new normal', and that is what all this was meant to accomplish. A return to an activity that I've always enjoyed tremendously with certain adjustments to accommodate my change in health status. But, finally, I feel like my life is emerging away from the dark tunnel of the last 5 1/2 years. I've gotten past the baby steps and toddler stages, maybe in the adolescent phase now. It will take some time and more acceptance of the changes that have occurred, but over time I'll grow into this new life. All of life is a journey, you never know where it will take you. A few of us are surprised with side trips into uncharted territories, and sometimes it takes a while to find the new pathway. How you react, how you adapt, determines what and who you become--it's an evolutionary progression that isn't predictable and is unique to each person. I'm not sure where I'm headed anymore, but now my footing seems more stable. And that's a very good feeling.

During my time in Glastonbury I bought more jewelry, which I need like another hole in my chest. But the stone that I was attracted to, which had never had much appeal to me before, was the moonstone. After buying a necklace and bracelet I finally looked it up in the 'Crystal Bible' at one of the shops: it's the stone for new beginnings. How cool is that? So, of course, I had to get earrings as well....

Thanks for all the support from those along the way, Laurie