A series of essays....
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| ENJOYING A PUB LUNCH WITH A GUINNESS BEFORE VISITING THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF IRELAND IN DUBLIN |
....as seen through my eyes!
By: Jacqueline E Hughes
“What was the point of being old enough to have worked out what life was all about if you couldn’t act on what you knew? Then again, how could you sort out someone else’s life when you were still trying to figure out how to live your own?”
Lately, I think about this timely quote written in the past tense from the book, ‘It Started With Paris’ by Cathy Kelly, one of my favorite Irish authors. It simply strikes a chord with me each time it’s read. What I read into it is that I am standing in the future having the past dictate what will be happening to me beyond the point of right that very moment. Sliding into Never Neverland or helping Alice chase the White Rabbit through Wonderland gives the tummy a slight twist and makes the head feel dizzy.
With the autumn months fast approaching, children heading back to school within the next few days, and the evening air as crisp as the swirling orange leaves gracefully falling in the backyard with each generous breeze, it is time for thoughtful reflection.
I won’t kid myself; there are things I would like to change in my life in order to ease some of the pain in my heart that produces tears and inevitable remorse. If or when I understand how to change them, trust me, I will do so in a heartbeat. I never give up hope. I can’t afford to when it comes down to seeing and being with the people I love. Patience.
Otherwise, I always try to live a pretty full and interesting life.
Feeling nostalgic this time of year is not unusual, especially when preparing to mark another year of having lived, loved, and laughed with the best of them! I have pretty amazing family and friends to thank for this. And, some of these friends are, definitely, my family; people I can open up to when feeling blue and laugh an afternoon away with whenever possible. Sunday morning breakfast is a fine example of this.
Some of you may find this charmingly unorthodox or frightfully absurd, but either way, the word interesting does come to mind. A group of us, people I have come to love, each in his or her own right, meet for breakfast each Sunday. Some of us, affectionately, label the occasion as ‘going to church’ because the valued time spent together discussing life, politics, books, current projects, plays we have seen and will see, celebrating birthdays in grand fashion, health issues, inviting new friends into the group, sharing our own children’s experiences and accomplishments, and talking about past and future travels...is likened to a breathtaking slice of life as seen through all of our eyes and generously shared among us.
Did I happen to mention that our small congregation meets in a fine, well established, local Irish pub? Some pretty cool strings must have been pulled in order to accomplish this one because we have the pub area all to ourselves. There’s something magical about drinking your first mug of morning coffee with friends (one being a bona fide Dublin native) while seated near the rich, dark wood of an Irish bar, shelves filled with a myriad of colored elixirs contained in interestingly shaped glass bottles being reflected in the elaborate mirrors behind them. Many of these beautiful Irish bars, for me, mimic the colorful and intricate beauty of a stained glass window.
For many an Irishman, this pub experience would be like meeting your Maker and everything you thought this moment would be like has, finally, been realized.
This would be a case for being old enough to have worked out what life is all about and acting upon it by sharing our knowledge and insights with others. At the same time, the bit about sorting out someone else’s life while you’re still trying to figure out how to live your own....well, that is and always will be a lifelong undertaking. As long as someone needs a shoulder to rest on or a listening ear to help them get through any situation, I would hope that we are all so kind as to offer both to anyone in need. Sometimes, making it through this life can be just that simple. Or, at least, not quite as difficult.
So, next week, while observing the leaves changing color on the tree limbs high above me as my car sits idling behind a local school bus picking-up or dropping-off students along its way, a grand Irish tune will be playing on the radio as I tap my fingers on the steering wheel in time with the beat. I will think about growing older; heading into the autumn season of my life. Maybe, just for a little while, because It’s all the living I have yet to do beyond flying alongside of Peter Pan or finding the White Rabbit that intrigues me the most.
Keep dreaming, dancing to the beat, holding on to patience and hope, attending ‘church’ each week with friends, and laughing to your heart’s content. If you do, autumn may just become the best season of your life.
Copyright © 2019 by Jacqueline E Hughes
All rights reserved
Photo copyright © 2019 by Jacqueline E Hughes
All rights reserved
