Yesterday was a London day, and this afternoon is a London afternoon.

This morning we woke early. I walked Gorby in the misty morning. He has a new toy and a new routine, so by the time we get back from the walk he's exhausted but still bouncy, the way a dog should be.

I make myself a bagel and check in on the pulse of the internet. Gorby jumps around the living room with his favorite annoying squeaky toy. Maggie sits upstairs, smoldering in annoyance at his juvenile antics. Mumin goes in and out and in and out of the newly installed cat flap in the back door. I drink a glass of juice. I take my vitamins.

I decide to go for a swim at the gym, and so grab my things and go. The traffic report is the usual-the M3 is gridlocked, the M25 is stopped anti-clockwise, and the Northern and Metropolitan tube lines are running with severe delays. I'm grateful I don't have to use any of those areas of transport today. The sun is peeking through filmy clouds, and the car is reassuring under my hands.

When I get to the gym I pad into the women's locker room and decamp my things into a locker. I take my clothes off, slide my swimsuit on, and head to the pool, where I do many laps pulling myself through the water using my arms, shoulders, and legs. I think alot when I swim. Sometimes that's a good thing, and sometimes it's not.

I shower and dry my hair. I put lotion on my arms, face and legs. I get my clothes on and drive home. Once home, I pet the dog. I hear the flap of the cat door. A Maggie toy flies down the stairs and I oblige her by winging it back up the landing for her. We make coffee. We login to work mails again. I ready a care package for my family.

He goes to a meeting this afternoon, I go to a meeting this afternoon. I'll head to the nerve-wracking train station and attempt to park. I'll pay a fortune for parking and for a ticket, and I will go into Waterloo and then walk to the office, crossing over the Thames, getting dazzled by the London Eye, Houses of Parliament, and Big Ben. This afternoon I meet some colleagues I love for a catch-up session. I'll be home tonight for dinner, Flickr, and the next episode of Desperate Housewives. I'll do dishes, I'll throw dog toys for a rabid dog, I'll make cats purr. I'll fill him in on my day, we'll talk about the news, I'll drink a few glasses of water. When we go to bed we both read-him a magazine, me Calvin and Hobbes.

And this is my daily life.

You might be wondering why the hell I'm boring you with this, and so I'll tell you-this is my daily life because it's become that way. I have had the possibility to make it this way.

Three years ago today I moved to England.

I left the snowy tundra of Stockholm behind. I walked away from shattered dreams, a shattered marriage, a shattered career. I pulled mysef up using my mental health strings and I got on an airplane.

So much has happened in three years that it hardly seems believable. The cats came to join me. A funky dog appeared on the horizon. I lived in three homes before tripping and falling into this one, the one that we keep talking about expanding but never do, but which I love unreservedly anyway. I've been all over the world. I've gotten back in touch with my father and stepmother, and I gained a grandma in the process. I have a therapist who has been making big changes in me, and I am grateful. I have a career that-while difficult and stressful-has made me a name for myself. I have a house full of toys and a plasma that I worship. I look through the eye of our Nikon and I see a whole new world. And every time I walk over the bridge at Waterloo, it still takes my breath away at how beautiful London is.

And of course, there's this boy I have.

It's as simple and as complicated as that.

My mornings seem mundane, I'm sure. Maybe all mornings are, I dunno. What I do know is that three years ago I could never have imagined I'd have an everyday life like this.

I am so grateful for my everyday life.

I mean it.

-H.

PS-there's a cute new man in town. Go say hi, if you haven't already.

Posted by: Everydaystranger at 09:28 AM | Comments (15) | Add Comment
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1 It's very gratifying, after seeing some of your posts from all those years ago, to see that you've finally come to this place. For those who've had torment in their past, a happy, mundane, everyday life can be an absolute delight. Days like that, I treasure.

Posted by: maolcolm at March 07, 2007 10:18 AM (TyBty)

2 Sounds wonderful. And you DO deserve it. Never doubt that.

Posted by: ~Easy at March 07, 2007 12:03 PM (eVLXY)

3 It's wonderful to see your progression, Helen. You DO deserve it!

Posted by: kenju at March 07, 2007 12:38 PM (L8e9z)

4 Sounds like a great life to me. So happy for you.

Posted by: Teresa at March 07, 2007 02:55 PM (GIGVP)

5 It is like watching you come full circle. I remember reading your blog back in those dark Swedish nights hoping that you would get everything you wanted. I think you've done a great job doing just that.

Posted by: Michele at March 07, 2007 03:28 PM (5VGFA)

6 Gosh. I can't believe how long I've been reading you every day. I can still remember sitting in my office reading about you getting laid off from Company X and my heart going out to you. And now? Now your whole life is different and I've followed along for the ride. Congratulations on your mundane mornings. The little things can sometimes make all the difference in the world.

Posted by: amy t. at March 07, 2007 03:37 PM (3dOTd)

7 Boring can be good. It has been a wonderful progression.

Posted by: sue at March 07, 2007 05:09 PM (9xR02)

8 Wonderful boring life! One correction however: "I have a therapist who has been making big changes in me..." I think it's more that you have a therapist who has helped you make big changes in yourself. That's what good therapists do.

Posted by: Kat at March 07, 2007 07:00 PM (4g1jr)

9 Congratulations.

Posted by: caltechgirl at March 07, 2007 08:06 PM (r0kgl)

10 It is amazing to see how far you've come. And it's even more amazing that you've brought me along for the ride. Don't ever believe that you're not an inspiration. Your a bright light shining across the pond on a girl in the Louisiana swamp. Now that I'm done waxing poetic, let me just get on with the congrats.

Posted by: Ice Queen at March 07, 2007 09:36 PM (Lyl8J)

11 It is amazing to see how far you've come. And it's even more amazing that you've brought me along for the ride. Don't ever believe that you're not an inspiration. Your a bright light shining across the pond on a girl in the Louisiana swamp. Now that I'm done waxing poetic, let me just get on with the congrats on the wonderfully mundane life.

Posted by: Ice Queen at March 07, 2007 09:36 PM (Lyl8J)

12 Sorry for the double post. Guess I'm trigger happy today.

Posted by: Ice Queen at March 07, 2007 09:37 PM (Lyl8J)

13 It is not boring. As your friend, here, it is terribly beautiful.

Posted by: RP at March 07, 2007 10:17 PM (LlPKh)

14 You made my heart smile with that post. Thanks for sharing Helen, it gives me hope that maybe, just maybe, after divorce and big life changes that life (or something like it) will return to normal and could be peaceful.

Posted by: Heidi at March 08, 2007 06:41 AM (0IL4J)

15 oh god, I am suddenly desperately homesick for London. I walked over London Bridge most mornings at the time of course it was too hot/cold/wet/windy/busy, now its a romantic stroll with scenic views. Thanks for telling us about your day, it seems very real!

Posted by: Sarah at March 08, 2007 07:18 AM (aYWtt)

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