145 Days

As I sit typing this, my bags are packed and I'm ready to fly back to Los Angeles - as ready as I'll ever be that is. I've been in Scotland for 144 days today, tomorrow being 145 I've learned so much in the past 4 months; lessons that will remain with me all the days of my life.

I have a slightly new accent. I know what "Mankey" and "Boggin" are. I know that the "H" is pronounced in Herb here in the UK, and a street curb is spelled with a KErb. I understand the massive culture differences between the two nations, and yet how closely we all exist even 6,000 miles away. I know what it's like to not only live in a foreign country, but what it's like to have a full family again with a mom and dad. For the first time in my life, I know what it's like to have a sister. I learned how to plant strawberries and corriander. I mastered the art of offering tea or coffee to guests. Trimming hedges and painting fences aren't that challenging, I discovered. Watching a rose bloom or seeing the strawberries grow after having my own hands on them is rewarding in a way I'd never known.

I learned what it's like to be accepted and loved... without wanting to run away and hide from compliments I knew not how to accept. I remembered my own love of reading while inspiring another to read more. My favorite childhood books are still out there and still being sold, and I learned that there are some things we'll never outgrow. I figured out how to spin in loops while sliding down a pole at the kids playground. I learned what it's like to be hurting and laughing at the same time. I now know what it feels like to loose and win in the same breath.

I know that I will always have people out there who will always love me unconditionally, no matter where in the world I might be - just down the street or 6,000 miles away. Friendships really CAN stand the test of time. The truth always comes out in the end. But I learned something so important here that it must be shared with everyone who reads this, or any, of my blogs.



"Whits fer ye wilnt go bae ye."



What's for you won't go by you. What's meant to be will be. Whatever fate has in store for us, we may not know until one door closes, another opens, and we choose which path to take when there's a fork in the road. These lessons, and countless others, will be with me all the days of my life. May I never forget where I've been and what I've seen... or the people out there that I love.

I'm leaving on a jet plane.
Don't know when I'll be back again...
Oh, Babe - I hate to go.

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