I haven't written in a while, and honestly, I have no excuse. Perhaps it was because I felt every week sounded like a running monologue of everything I did. I felt like recounting everything in order was inefficient and frankly a bit boring. I'm trying something where I write about what is most important or exciting in my mind. Perhaps, I was trying to formulate my thoughts. Perhaps, feel I these posts are redundant because I share this same information on my Instagram and Facebook. No matter, I am here now, and we are going to write!
I'm not going to lie; I have been anxious. I haven't been working on self-care as I should. I might be in that period where the honeymoon phase is over, and I am noticing all of the annoying things. I'm not sure if that's entirely it because I am still totally in love with the experience and city. Maybe, I am losing energy because of everything I am doing. This is a marathon, not a sprint, so I should work on pacing myself. But when given the opportunity to do something, I have a tough time saying no.
I went to Kew Gardens with a friend from home who is studying at Essex, Molly, and the ever wonderful Sam. Kew Gardens is genuinely the most meditative experience. I am learning that meditation doesn't mean sitting on the floor for me. Mediation means walking in nature and breathing in nature smells. I tried for so long to meditate the traditional way, but my mind always goes to anxious places. But outside, I have to focus on not slipping in the mud, which I did, and seeing the sublime gardens. The Romantics would get on me for calling this experience sublime and not beautiful, but I really don't care. There was such sublimity at Kew Gardens, and I felt like a did have a sort of religious experience in nature. I felt rejuvenated and less stressed when we left.
There was a Dale Chihuly exhibition on, and it was so gorgeous to see. We went on a good day and often got rooms for ourselves to enjoy his work and the plants. I am a sucker for a botanical garden, and this one was by far the best. My glasses kept fogging up, but that's alright! The orchid and waterlily rooms were my favorite.
Being here for a little over a month has allowed me to play tour guide. Molly was over for the weekend, and I got to show her what I love about this city. It was a wonderful exercise for me to see what I value and how to show off in London. We found a Virginia Woolf bust after traipsing around and taking a few wrong turns. But I love getting lost in a city, in the day time, and finding hidden gems. It was also a good tester to gauge what my audience is interested in and showing them the very best of what they are interested in. I knew Molly liked thrift shops and off-beat shops and so I took her to Notting Hill. I have been there before, but going again really heightened the experience. She expressed interest in things I would never have thought to look at, and then I got a more nuanced look at a place I already liked.
I am doing academics too, let's not forget about the other half of my time here! My two theology classes are what I called "delightful mind-melts." I love the feeling of realizing everything I think isn't original and all the ways I could be looking at the world but have never considered. I also love picking up on the contradiction of my world-view that I seemingly thought was infallible. I don't mean this sarcastically. I genuinely enjoy having my world-views challenged and making me think about the minutia of belief. We discussed Aquinas and Bonaventure in the context of what "In the beginning" actually means. I love how anyone could write three shelves worth of pages devoted to those three words. We are discussing science's place in religion and bringing in String Theory and Particle physics to explain the edgelessness of the universe and how no edge means no God to some people. Trippy!
My theatre class is exposing me to all sorts of theatre: some winners and some not so great ones. I have taken the mindset that how I feel about the show, whether I like it or not, is irrelevant. I am more interested in what works and doesn't work about a piece. I have found I have an extreme tolerance for B.S in a piece, and that may or may not be a good thing. I will be posting reviews of all the shows I see so that those of you who don't care for theatre won't be subjected to my thoughts.
All in all, I am ebullient! Again, apologies for the lack of posts. I plan on having a Reading Week post up soon!