a wee post
We recently returned from a trip to Scotland. It was a dreamy, green fairytale of a trip. We didn’t experience too many hiccups along the way, but we were without our luggage for the first couple days. It didn’t matter much, except for the fact that my sweet husband was kindly keeping tabs on their whereabouts by having to routinely check his phone which was stressful.
Three of the bags were coming by way of Boston and the other two would be coming from Atlanta. The three from Boston wouldn’t get to us until the next day which was problematic because we were leaving early that morning for a four-hour road trip. So instead of waiting for the bags to be delivered at some point to the hotel, Josh got up extra early to meet the bags at the airport. But then they wouldn’t let him into baggage claim so he had to find someone to help him. He begged and maybe bribed a fellow for assistance and miraculously, It worked! It wasn’t an easy task in the wee hours of the morning, solo and tired, but when he walked into our room with our long lost suitcases in tow, it was as if he had slayed a dragon. I was overcome with thankfulness for my knight in shining shorts.
Not having our luggage for the first couple days afforded us the delightful opportunity of a shopping excursion at Primark, an H&M like department store with a Lilo and Stitch café on the top floor. Some of our new purchases were more attractive than others. My green dress that I wore to dinner that night made me look like a pregnant dinosaur and had the texture of a Ruffles potato chip.
We also learned an important lesson for the umpteenth time, no checked bags, carry ons only! Especially when there is a tight connection, and an international flight involved. I broke my cardinal rule of summer travel too which is to always fly out in the morning due to afternoon thunderstorms.
As we drove to the airport that afternoon in Tampa, I swear I saw the Wicked Witch of the West pedaling her bicycle in the ominous windswept sky. There may have even been a flying monkey or two. In this scenario, someone always has to say, “It’s more important that the weather is nice where you’re flying to than where you’re flying from.” Mkay, Paula.
Our flight to Atlanta was delayed which resulted in running through the Atlanta Airport desperate to make our connecting flight to Edinburgh. Resembling a cast of Kramers from Seinfeld, we scuttled down the runway and slid on board at the very last minute. It was quiet, the lights were dim, some people were already cozy with a neck pillow and an eye mask, when a middle-aged man sitting in the same row as my son, yelled at the top of his lungs, WAHOOWAH (something they say at UVA I learned earlier this year) when he saw my son’s Virgina hat. Because I’m not a big sports gal, I’ve never quite understood these kinds of references like when someone gives a toast at a wedding, and the person is like, “Go Bulldawgs” and then guests start barking or whatever.
Anyway, I digress, but holy shit that collegiate outburst scared me. And the woman next to me wasn’t very happy about it either.
After a few days frolicking in the gorgeous green highlands, we were back in Edinburgh for one night before flying out the next day. We had a good laugh when one of the room attendants put a crib in the kid’s room. I had asked for a cot which to the woman at the front desk meant crib. When I went down to the desk and clarified, she said there must be a language mix up. I said, “What do you call “it” here? “An extra bed.” We both chuckled. Fair enough.
After a week away, I felt grateful for having had the time together with family, grateful to be home, but also honestly, unexcited to be back in Tampa which shockingly, is not so pleasant this time of year. It’s not just the heat, which is everywhere this year, it’s the rain. But I was of course happy to see my dog, Poppy, and cat, Charlie who hates us for the first few days we’re back.
Two things I had been looking forward to; my son’s graduation, and the trip were over. One of my daughters would be leaving for camp and college for my son was looming on the horizon. Returning to our regularly scheduled program felt anticlimactic and made me feel blue.
I was missing the cool weather and my siblings and with activities like Scottish dancing and a “toast to haggis” on the agenda, who could blame me for feeling blue? But I managed to get up early on my first morning back, make my bed like Mel Robbins tells me to do, and begrudgingly began crossing things off my list. First up was the grocery store! I pined for the jolly sing song Scottish brogue and smiled when I heard a young mom talking to her son in a Brit-ish accent.
As I was leaving the store, a small black car with a male driver and the windows down rolled by blasting Time after Time by Cindi Lauper. It seemed like a peculiar choice for a man at 9am outside of a grocery store. Was he trying to be cool? Hahaha. Aren’t we all.
One of the grocery store clerks came out to get some carts and as he drove by the second time, Girls Just Want to Have Fun played. The female clerk and I made eye contact and laughed, after she told me a wistful story about the song being one of her favorites in high school. We then wished each other a happy Friday and went about our merry way.
Scotland isn’t the only magical place. Clearly, Publix on Gandy is too.
And when there’s rain, there’s also rainbows.