Long Weekend in Ireland

Behind the "Delta" Sign

I am posting this, the first of my Ireland blogs, on a creative dreams update day because it goes along with this week's assignment quite nicely.

Last week's was to figure out what our dreams were in need of...and mine were to get the heck out of Dodge...so THANK GOODNESS I had my Ireland weekend planned.  Amazingly good timing.

This week we are charged with taking a look at our commitments and asked the following questions:

• are you committed to living your dreams?
• can you see a way of becoming even more committed to living your dreams?
• do you have any commitments that are draining you? 

I'm delighted to say yes to the first and as for the second...I feel I'm doing all I can right now. Third...well there are a lot of things draining me, but I've been shifting things around in my life to simplify and re-establish my priorities. 

The most important thing I've discovered is that I'm fully committed to myself. The Dublin trip helped to refresh my goals and remind me why I love going out to that part of the world so much. I love that everything seems so much closer, after our quick visit. The Guinness tasted so much better at the source!

I gratefully left on Thursday, March 18th to go to Dublin for a Waterboys concert and a weekend away from it all. I spent a wonderfully quiet day packing, doing yoga and thinking about the journey ahead.  It still didn't seem real! Everything felt very right though.  Early in the day my friend and fellow concert-goer, Christina, sent a message that Scotland was going to be playing Ireland in rugby that weekend. Dublin would be full of men in kilts.  What better sign could I have asked for?  :D

To add to the adventure, I took the bus out to the airport!  Normally I get a car but I wanted to save money and take the bus. The stop is literally around the corner from my apartment so it seemed right.

I ended up getting on the wrong bus.

But my inner voice kept saying, "All is well..." and the correct bus was right behind.

Result?  I got to the airport an hour earlier than I had to. No worries...time was good because I had to walk from the bus stop to the correct terminal. I felt very accomplished in the end.  Walking up to the Delta terminal was like approaching a scene from The Jetsons :) and when I walked inside it was total chaos;  people milling about like lost cattle.  I managed to check myself in and drop my bags...totally calm despite the confusion and a madman yelling and screaming over something. Ah, New York...

After I made it through the security check point, I found a little market cafe that sold gourmet sandwiches and beer! So I settled in with some yummy roast beef and a blackberry Sam Adams. All the while texting with my travelling companion, Sara, who was in line behind Jim Gaffigan!  All good signs.

I had been slightly worried about delays since JFK had closed it's main runway for renovations a few weeks before...but after a tipsy call to my Mom (thanks Sam Adams!) our flight boarded on time and we were 3rd on the runway for take-off under a beautiful "Cheshire Cat" Grinning Moon!

It felt like we were there in no time!  I had barely slept but got a short little revitalizing nap on the runway in Dublin.  Our flight got in an hour early and there was no available gate...so I put on my chakra cleansing meditation and we were moving the second it ended.

We took a taxi to our hotel and discovered that check-in wasn't until 3:00!  So we deliriously left our bags and headed into town for breakfast before having a surreal walk around (which included a marching band dressed as Leprechauns playing "Eye of the Tiger").

Full Irish Breakfast

Dublin Castle

A Gorgeous Iron Gate

I Was Obsessed With this Iron-Work

The Chester Beatty Library

Temple Bar Area

We managed quite well and then took a little disco nap before dinner and a Guinness (or two...)

In the end we stopped at a bar called "The Purty Kitchen" where there was a band playing covers and mash-ups.  They caught my attention with The Waterboys' "Fisherman's Blues"  (appropriate) and then made us smile when combining "I'm Yours" and "Paparazzi" acoustically.  Genius.

This trip was full of balance and quiet reassurance that I'm making the right choices and that I am committed to change.

XO