Evening Reflection: Monday 24 June

 

First day on the road. The photo is the view from my lodgings (a corner of a little single-track byway known locally as 'Monk's Lane' - seemed appropriate!)

Setting off was more emotional than I'd expected. It's hard, saying goodbye to family and walking out of the door, knowing you might not be back for months. My dad and stepdad were both in the navy, and most of the kids I grew up with were navy kids, so I'd seen this from the other side. But we were always the ones being left in our familiar surroundings, with the rest of our family and friends. Today, I was the one leaving.

The first part of the journey was pure delight: travelling through Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire by back roads in glorious sunshine. I had the world to myself most of the time. Cambridgeshire saw busier roads, more traffic, slightly more impatient drivers. Still some wonderful sights, but I was glad to find a quieter spot to camp for the night. I don't think things will improve tomorrow, as the outskirts of London beckon.

I found myself thinking a lot about letting go. It's always a hard thing to do, and to make this trip I've had to let go of a lot ... leaving behind almost everything I own, even if only for a while; leaving home; leaving family; leaving familiarity and comfort and routine. I wondered how pilgrims from centuries ago managed this (after all, I can still keep in touch with people the whole way along), how pioneers and explorers coped, how refugees in our own time deal with it. I wondered whether this kind of travel might be good preparation for the day coming to us all when we finally have to let go of everything ... kind of a practice run, you might say.

The birds are singing and the sun will still be up for a couple more hours. Time to pray a little more, I think.