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A Travel Lesson That Doubles As a Life Lesson
One hard day isn’t reflective of the whole experience
Give it time to pass, I remind myself.
I know it’s hard.
Anything new is hard at first.
I can feel it getting to me. This “adventure of a lifetime” is feeling more like a punishment.
I eat alone. I sit alone everywhere in the hostel. I wander the streets of London alone. I go for a ride on the London Eye alone. I ride the subway alone.
Just me, myself, and I.
Meanwhile, groups of friends sit together at a nearby table, laughing and having the time of their life. A couple takes selfies on the London Eye, their happy smiles haunting me. A family brings their lovable chaos with them onto the attraction, kids eager to see the view from all directions, their parents eager to keep an eye on their busy kids. Eventually, they track them down, and the whole family poses for a special keepsake memory.
It’s times like this where the pain feels fresh. It flares up in full force, as if my heart’s been set on fire all over again.
The happy couples and families on vacation all just rub salt in the wound. They remind me of what I thought I had. Of what I wanted.
