I have been home a week now and the trip to England seems almost a blur in my life experience. So much took place in such a short time — emotionally, mentally, spiritually, relationally — some experiences bold and "in my face" while others carried more subtle impact. Regardless of the nature of each experience, I am convinced that I will work to synthesize and integrate each one into the fabric of who I am and who I will become. Needless to say, the trip will stay with me a lifetime.
As I close this formal discussion of my experiences in London, Stonehenge and Bath, I want to focus more on the people than the places.
Following are a few observations I made about the people with whom I interacted there:
- The people of England are just like we are here in the States — working hard to make a life for themselves and their respective families.
- Concern about the direction in which the world is headed holds a prominent place in their thinking.
- Consternation about the impact fuel prices continue to have on their ability to create a quality life peppers their discussions — by the way, the average price per gallon of gas there is about double our average price; approximately $8.00 per gallon!
- The part taxes plays in their lives serves as fodder for lively conversation. I learned that the first 55 pounds per week (roughly equal to $110 here) that a worker earns in England is tax free; they are then taxed at a rate of 20% on anything above that base amount. (Now the rich have loopholes that make your head swim and that is perhaps a point of discussion for another time) A national health care plan (everyone has coverage) is part of this tax structure.
- The sense of pride they have in their country and its place on the world stage is similar to what we see overall here in our country.
- The sense of concern and grief they feel over the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and other parts of the world weighs heavily on them as well. I think we sometimes forget that we have allies whose sons and daughters sacrifice their lives in the same wars in which we find ourselves engaged — a fact that needs more attention here.
- They are perhaps as a whole, more in tune with the impact of human kind on the health of our planet than the typical American and therefore more inclined to take steps and make sacrifices to reverse the negative impacts — but I believe that is changing.
- As a whole, they appear much more comfortable with cultural diversity than we — the truly international nature of London forces that issue perhaps more so than here; I’m not quite sure.
- London is quite proactive in ensuring the safety of its people — we were told that it is likely that each time we walked the streets of London, there was a likelihood that we would be photographed forty or more times in a single day regardless of where we were. (If you remember me telling about a few of our group that experienced a robbery — we were told that the police had good camera placement on that particular street and were hopeful that the images would help in capturing the perpetrators)
- In London, the primary method of transportation for the average person is the "Tube" or Underground (read subway here). Often, the "subway" conjures pictures of fear, assault and potential crime here. I did not find that to be the case in London. Traveling the "Tube" is as commonplace as getting in your car here — people generally leave you alone and simply use the train as a means of getting from one place to another.
- Residents of England know as much if not more about the Presidential Race in the United States than the average citizen here! Further, they are quite open and opinionated about who they see as being best for that job! Amazing!
- The people of London tend look "through" or "beyond" you on the street — very little eye contact or exchange of greetings. I have my theories on this phenomenon, but will save those for later.
- Did I say that I found them very similar to people here in the States? Yes! I believe I did! We are more alike than we are different! We are more alike than we are different!
I could go on listing observations, but I think the ones outlined above are fairly representative of the bigger picture. Overall, I was comfortable there! Apart from the fact that they drive on the "wrong" side of the road, everything else seemed familiar!
Since this blog is about living in the meantimes, I feel duty bound to discuss that a bit.
The meantimes — whether they come in the form of skyrocketing fuel prices; steadily climbing food costs; high taxes; uncertainty about the health of our planet; the tenuous stability of international relations; terrorism; education; the strength of marriage and family relationships; etc., etc., etc. — serve as common denominators of the human experience!
We are more alike than we are different!
One of our bus drivers shared that he works two jobs — a total of 75 – 80 hours per week — and has had only one week vacation in four years! He was astute; articulate; opinionated; informed; interesting; a great conversationalist; and upbeat! He loves life!
One young lady who escorted our group back to the airport prior to our departure home has two jobs as well — her work with the tour company is only part-time and on the weekends. She is twenty-five years old, a native of Slovakia, speaks five languages, has a masters degree in business, and lives in London alone in order to perfect her English. She said that if she had moved there with her parents, she would have spoken only her native language and therefore not worked on English. She was engaging; optimistic; vibrant; intelligent; observant; and delightful! She wants to make a difference in the world!
Another young lady who works as a server at a restaurant hails from the Czech Republic and has been in London only two years. She is a hard worker; outgoing; interested in other people; eager to learn; articulate; goal-oriented; and determined! She is on an adventure!
I could go on, but won’t for now. Do you see the similarities? How many Americans do you know who could be described in similar ways as those above?
We are all travelers on the same planet seeking essentially the same things out of life. We all face challenges and difficulties — "mean times" — in life that demand action on our parts as we pursue our dreams. We all seek strategies to live in the "meantimes" — the times between times; the interim periods — and can learn from one another.
As I reflect on what I learned from my fellow travelers in life while in England, the following are strategies I believe many of them use in order to face their individual "mean times" when they come and live within the "meantimes" while they prepare for the next steps.
- They work hard to continue following their goals — they don’t give up!
- They focus more on what they have than what they do not have!
- They talk openly with others about their struggles and doubts rather than stuffing their feelings.
- They continue to dream big despite the struggles they face!
- They remain open to suggestion and counsel when faced with seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
- They smile and laugh a lot — even when things are not going exactly the way they would want them to go.
- They take time to relax — even those who have not taken a "real vacation" — on a daily basis. Taking time for tea in the afternoon is a marvelous idea!
- They share their hearts with people who truly care about their well-being!
Do you see the potential for positive impact that I see in the lessons above? My! I wonder what might happen if you and I were to begin putting into practice the eight lessons listed above? How might our perspective change? What new ideas might come to the surface? What innovations might dawn on us? What kinds of connections might we make? What kind of character might we build?
I may never get a chance to travel abroad again, but I will always treasure the lessons learned and the experiences shared. I am hopeful that you will seek to put into practice at least one of the lessons shared from my trip! I truly believe that a positive change is yours for the effort!
Peace!
Mark
Copyright 2008 Mark E. Hundley
