Being back in London, first thoughts… Grey – has the sky always been this, well, grey? Why does everyone look SO miserable and why do I have to wear so many clothes?
I’m going to get this part out of the way quickly, as this blog is meant to be all about positivity.. Anyone that’s followed my travel blogs through Asia knows I can’t go too long without discussing toilets and being home is no exception. I get that I should be used to horrible toilet conditions and squatting in unmentionable places but I’m still amazed at the state of some of the public toilets in reputable coffee shops and cafes in London. How is it that you can make sure the chocolate powder on my latte is in a perfect heart shape, yet have a toilet that smells like dead people? It makes no sense?! Latte to go please!
The positives about being back in London
Aside from being reunited with my nearest and dearest and being able to consume an ungodly amount of cheese? For starters, I can dry my hair with a round brush, safe from humidity and all done in a full-length mirror! No faffing with adapters and being able to plug multiple things in at a time, imagine the joy!
Also aside from my aversion to public transport, I noticed that they finished the building work on Tottenham Court Road station and doesn’t it look lovely and new and shiny! You go TFL!
Going away travelling it did irk me slightly when people kept on saying “you’ll come back a totally different person, oh and you won’t bother wearing all that makeup anymore”. Those hours I spend staring lovingly into the window of Bobbi Brown and the time spent crushing over the latest set of real techniques brushes on Insta, is not time wasted. That is time I really, really enjoy!
What travelling taught me
To be honest, I was actually ok with the person I was when I left, and I bloody love make up. I didn’t go travelling to “find myself” I went to see the world and experience different cultures. I can be an anxious little shit at times but I mean, I’m alright. 28 years in the same skin, you kind of get used to all your own funny little quirks and I’m totally at peace with the fact that I’m always going to be a prominent member of the itty bitty titty committee. That being said travelling did teach me a whole bunch of stuff…
I’ve come back realising that when people do and say shitty things it’s probably because they have shitty stuff happening to them and I just don’t take it personally anymore. I’m much more tolerant, much more forgiving. Karma is totally a thing, good vibes only and all that. Unless I’m hungry and then I do apologise for my cattiness!
Accepting things will go wrong – another thing I’ve come to terms with. Sometimes I will fuck things up, I will lose my phone, my hair will misbehave and I will get white girl wasted and fall out of the Uber that’s already overcharged me for A. falling asleep or B. the liberal scattering of McDonald’s chips on the back seat. But there’s no point sweating the small stuff (and the Uber comes out of Dem’s account anyway).
I’m also trying this new thing where I stop analysing everything. This one is especially important for me because my brain does this thing where it thinks of 70 possible outcomes all at once, which just isn’t helpful for anyone, least of all me!
Seeing the best in people
I’m not going to pretend that I’ve come back from travelling without my pal and bestie “resting bitch face” because she did come home safely in my backpack and sometimes she does bust a move when I’m least expecting it. But I’m trying to be more positive and see the best in people. Blogging while I was away and reading about other people’s travel experiences was not only really interesting but it was really, really useful and it was nice to find such a big group of talented writers that were so supportive of each other.
You meet so many people travelling, you smile at everyone, you laugh and cry together and congratulate each other on every little success and bit of good luck. So I’m bringing that back to London – positivity breeds positivity, just for god sake don’t put me on the underground!
