Omnium-Gatherum (Random Thoughts 4)

I have been feeling it in the air for the last three days. It was the kind of coolness that only this particular season brings. It was refreshing, creeping on your skin into your bones. I tried not to notice it. Acknowledging its presence meant that the year would soon be over. It makes more real the fact that time does fly so fast.

But the rain today made it more pronounced. It made the coolness colder. I had to wear a jacket all day.

It was icy cold. I had to accept the reality: The Christmas season has arrived.

- - -

I grew up reading European literature, dominated by English writers. Amongst my favorites were Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, Charles Dickens, and Shakespeare. I loved what I read.

I never dreamt though that one day I would be able to go see places that I have seen only in my books. Get a glimpse of the Buckingham and Kensington Palaces, even just from the outside. Visit Bloomsbury, Hyde Park, Covent Garden. Maybe watch Les Miserables or the Phantom of the Opera. Walk along the river Thames.

I wish I could see ladies, with their pretty dresses, and gentlemen with canes, promenading or alighting from their carriages. But then, that was in another era.

I will be there in three weeks time. I do not know what to expect. I only hope to have the best possible week in a world I have seen only in print.

= = =

I dared not dream to be where I am now working. It seemed unreachable. I knew my capabilities and skills. Thus, I recognized the impossibility. I had unpleasant experiences with their people. Thus, I was averse to working with them again. Two reasons which are sufficient to create a great barrier.

But I have become aware of why I was brought to where I am now. To help some sisters find their way.