Skip to main content

Gone Like Yesterday

From The Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland

"The police will notice and take you away," said one of my supportive friends.
"They won't burn," said another. "There won't be enough air circulation."
"The box will sink and the business cards will float and everyone will know it was you."
"You'll set a swan on fire."

What marks the finish, the completion of something?

8 weeks ago, I thought 8 weeks would be the perfect duration - a gentle winding down of my life in England.  Time to do everything it was important to me to do.  I didn't want my time in England to just be over; I wanted it to be complete.

So I had 8 weeks of last time dinners.  A farewell tour of Scotland.  The church called a new minister (finally!). I delivered a long promised loaf of Challah to friends.  I bought tickets to the Cabinet War Rooms and a play at Theatre Royal Windsor.  And by the time on Monday that two nice men took away all my things, I was in the mood for symbolic gestures.

One of the things the movers left behind was a stack of business cards with my name and the title I've had for 5 years.  I put crumpled newspaper into an empty shoe box and layered on the business cards.  Then I tried to find people to help me set it afire and adrift in the river. 

I do not consider myself to be a risk taker and I like to keep on the right side of the law, but I had not anticipated such concern on part of my friends for the local flora and fauna.  And their own reputations.

But I would not be disuaded and in the end we found an acceptable solution.The business cards were shredded (to improve air circulation).  A deserted section of River walk was identified.  The shoe box was placed in a metal roasting pan placed on the sidewalk.  The newspaper was set ablaze with a borrowed lighter.  And the glowing ashes were tipped into the river (and splashed with river water to prevent them setting fire to any overhanging twigs or grass).

If any policeman or swan noticed, they didn't bother to come investigate.  If they had, I would have told them -
this 5 years of my life is not just over, but finished.

Farewell, dear England.

Comments

  1. Grace PowellThursday, March 13, 2014

    Love you. I'm glad you had this closure. Can't wait to give you a hug!

    ReplyDelete
  2. VanessaThursday, March 13, 2014

    I'm so happy for you!

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousFriday, March 14, 2014

    We continue to ask God to guide and guard you in your new "venture". Love you - Mom

    ReplyDelete
  4. ThomasFriday, March 14, 2014

    The bookish part of me has always found that old useless business cards make great bookmarks I don't care to lose...

    There should be a parcel waiting for you in Tulsa by now. ;-)

    Farewell !

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 2: Grand Rapids, MI to Oconomowoc, WI

 When I lived in England, I learned the saying - Start as you mean to go on . I thought about this as the hotel manager explained to me that he was calling because I had left my journal in the hotel room but he would be able to have it shipped back to me if I could provide a pre-paid shipping label. This was the second distressing phone call before lunch.   The first distressing phone call was to say that due to high winds expected across Lake Michigan, our ferry to Milwaukee was cancelled. I really like ferries and I had been looking forward to the ferry across Lake Michigan for weeks. We stopped at Panera for lunch and to discuss the situation. My lunch was a disappointing sandwich. And then there was a lot of highway south of Lake Michigan and around Chicago.  And Spotify kept slipping weird mellow folk music into my upbeat driving playlist. And then about 20 miles before Oconomowoc, the sky did this, and I think we will consider this the new start of the trip.
1 comment
Read more

Box Set

Jayne and I had decided to blow off work and talk about men in a way we never would have done when we were younger and more responsible.  (Actually, our bosses had pre-approved the vacation time if not the conversation, but I like to think that after sensible teenage and young adult years, we still have a chance of turning into carefree middle aged rebels.)  Jayne was sharing with me the surprise some people had expressed when they learned she was getting divorced and how that had opened her eyes to the compartmentalization in her life; in this case, that her marriage had been slowly deteriorating but she didn't talk about this with anyone - even close friends. I asked Jayne how many "boxes" she had.   "5 - 1 for work, 1 for family, 1 specifically for my ex, 1 for Christian friends, and 1 for non-Christan friends." As she finished, I saw myself 6 months ago.   I was having morning coffee with a friend and my phone beeped its daily 9 am reminder....
3 comments
Read more

A Sudden Change of Direction: an Analogy of Dog and Life

There are times when you and Life are walking along, like good friends, and you think you know where you are going.  You think that you and Life have agreed on a direction; that there is a plan; that you understand each other. And then Life decides that despite all the trees you have already visited, you really must see this new one.  This tree is different from all the other trees and if you don't see it, you simply won't be the person you might be if you DO see it. And so Life changes direction. Except you don't notice.  Because you talked about it.  And there was this plan . And then you trip over Life.  And Life LOOKS very indignant because you weren't paying attention and kneed her in the ribs.  And you ARE very indignant because this is a stupid tree that you had no interest in ever seeing and you would chop it down and burn it if you could. Stupid tree.  Stupid Life.  Stupid little bits of gravel stuck in your palms. B...
2 comments
Read more