a girl in the world

finding beauty, pleasure and grace on the road less traveled

28

Wowza, I am old. Twenty EIGHT?! When did that happen? Clearly I don’t feel 28. Actually, I forgot it was going to be my birthday today and scheduled an evening meeting. It was only after the Boy made me cancel that I realized today wasn’t just any other day. Today is the start of my official, undeniable, unavoidable entrance into my late twenties.

*gasp*

They say that 30 is like the new 20, which means I’d be about 18. Like, oh my god, totally! Like, I’m so done with high school and I’m like SO excited about university! What am I going to put in my dorm room?! And like, oh my gosh, who will my room mate be?! And eeeks, there will be SO many boys!!!

Umm, yeah… NO!

Twenty eight is just fine, thanks.

Actually, the start of my 28th year has been pretty amazing. A virtual hug from Mama. Champagne and raspberries at midnight. The summer in Europe. Abundant love. Happy parents and a happy little brother. A way of living where every morning is bursting with hope. Good health. A learned grace. Blessings that pour in the truckload.

Today I am thankful.  I am the most blessed 28 year old there is.

Finding Time and beauty in London

If my heard had wings
I would fly to you and lie
Beside you as you dream
If my heart had wings
– Faith Hill

Post-trips, post-move, post-sorting-bank-accounts.  And now rest.  Rest.  Long, languid, sunny afternoons with the curtains open and the breeze wafting in.  It is music and tea and biscuits at noon.  It is stillness for stillness’ sake.  It is weekends wandering aimlessly by the river.  It is the near-impossible achievement of finding a quiet peaceful corner in London.

It has been a glorious few days of getting reacquainted with this city.  The weather has been perfect, the days have been long.  There is time.  And though being back here feels like visiting an old friend, being in London and having time is a new experience for me.  There was never time.  I was running to work, running away… running always.  This place is a whole new universe with time.

Afternoon matinees.  Sunning in the parks. Picture taking in whole new neighbourhoods.  With time, beauty reveals itself in layers.  Beyond the noise, the crowds, the exhilarating novelty of all things different, there is a strength of culture here that can’t be found anywhere else and it can pull the rug from under you and take your breath away.

Like this past weekend, during a walk along the South Bank of the river we ran into a humble string band playing beautiful music on the bridge.  We watched Brazilian samba in the streets.  We perused a used book fair.

It isn’t always a search for something new and different.  Sometimes, if you give yourself the time to sit still for a while, sometimes if you give your wings a rest, beauty finds its way to you.

A summer in London

A summer in London. The latest pit stop on the road of this here adventure. If you had asked me a year ago if I thought I’d be in London this summer, I would have told you no. But life has an interesting way of working out just a little different from your expectations and, well, here I am.

After a year away from Europe, it wasn’t long before I found excuses to come back. A trip with Mama, a wedding,  girl travel.  London’s been calling.

But with a voice so different from the one I left behind. I’m back full circle and so so happy to discover that London isn’t home anymore. It’s beautiful, it’s fun, it’s cultured and so gorgeous during this time of year, but the things that I want for myself are decidedly different from what I thought I wanted a year ago.  I’m happy to be here as a visitor and so incredibly at peace with this fact. I am a visitor. A very local visitor, but a visitor nonetheless.

The next six weeks will be spent exploring every nook and cranny of this amazing city. There will be markets and lounges and parks and picnics. We are going to devour every museum, every festival, every warm humid night under the stars. This is the summer I get to know London more intimately than ever before.  Now, we’ve got all the time in the world.  No rushing away, no morning commutes, no late work nights, no rain, no cold.

It is a summer fling, a rendezvous, a stolen moment and sweet slow dance. This summer, I’m going to have an affair with a long lost lover.

Hi, I'm Denise. I'm a writer, artist and photographer. This is where I share what I'm seeing, learning and making.
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