on the wing

I have a longing to be outside,
to sit on a hillside with a pen and a blank book,
to look at the world and think poetry.

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I feel my soul pushing for space. It's like I've swallowed a balloon that's being blown up huge, this feeling of stretching and needing to grow inside. It makes me antsy and dreamy at the same time. I get lost in my own head.

I need to wander and have heart full to bursting and take deep breaths.
I need to follow the currents in my mind until they taper into silvery trails in the sand.
I need to rest.

* * *

In what can only be some kind of miracle, I've been given an opportunity to take life on the wing, and I'm grabbing it with both hands. Next week I'll be up above clouds, on my way to hugs and maybe tears and definitely laughter with this dear sister in London.

A few years ago

Once you have a sister, to go too many years without her is a soul-wasting thing. A few weeks ago we said no to soul-wasting and yes to huddling around a laptop watching USC games streamed live in the middle of the night and long walks and the healing power of cheese. I need her, and she needs me, and these are good things.

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I have a to-do list forty miles long. I am practicing tying scarves and peeking nervously at my passport and pinching myself when no one's looking, and I'm so grateful for the love and generosity that are making this trip possible. It feels like magic and a gift and the best kind of adventure all rolled into one.

* * *

Have you been to the UK? Always dreamed of going? What are your must-sees?