Cottages and Royalty...

I absolutely live in a fairytale. Some days I am so struck by this, I just have to shake my head repeatedly in disbelief, as if nodding like a fool will convince me that this is reality. Even with the ups and down of daily chores and to-do lists, as soon as I walk out our front door and head into town, the scenery stupefies me in a good way. The streets are lined with enchanted cottages; the colleges might as well be castle grounds; and, the cobblestone sidewalks have been tread by intellectual and actual royalty. How did I get here again? Sometimes I feel like I am walking through a Disney movie somewhere between Sleeping Beauty, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Peter Pan.

For some inexplicable reason, this picture from the market seems to fit my mood. Maybe it's the contrast of light and darkness. I don't know. Don't think I can get too poetic or existential here. It's just somehow a snap shot of my present state of mind.

I find myself trying to predict what my reaction will be to the completely opposite ambiance of Houston, Texas, in a little over seven months. Will I dislike its modernity and height? Will I be thankful for its warm weather or offended by it? When I catch myself thinking so far ahead, I have to be reminded to savor the present. As far as I can guess, I will probably never again live in a city that people from all over the world come to visit. I definitely will never again get to call Wills and Kate my city's Duke and Duchess. I will probably never again be in a position where my sole responsibilities are to get involved in whatever I want, explore and take pictures of whatever I want, and be home at the end of the day to greet Matthew. I am trying my darnedest to soak up this fairytale, but it's hard when I still can't believe that it's real. Do you ever get the feeling that the things you know you will most appreciate in the future are the things that you can least appreciate in the present? That's where I'm at. I'm already sensing some inner nostalgia towards Cambridge, and I haven't even left it yet. At my core, I think I'm just afraid of under-appreciating it or taking it for granted. I desperately don't want to move back to the States regretting where I didn't get to go or what I didn't get to see. So, I suppose I should stop pondering and get out there. Just thought I would record these diverging emotions while I could coherently articulate them. Until next time!