Take Me Back: Regent's Park

NOTE: This is not London as of now. I hear it gets kind of chilly there this time of year...

Take me back to London, specifically the rose gardens at Regent's Park in summer time. Although, I wouldn't complain if I happened to show up there in the spring either.

Regent's Park was my heaven on earth. I spent my month in London running from place to place, crossing off items on my lengthy bucket list, and seeing 11 shows in the West End district. Basically, it was perfection in the form of minutes spent reading in royal parks, too many pastries to count, hours watching incredible performances, and learning a thing or two about the city itself. 

The rose gardens were the one place that I consistently returned to during my stay. I felt completely at peace, and my usually restless mind was able to let go of my insecurities, questions, and concerns. I don't know that I will ever find a place to duplicate that state of mind.

I couldn't be more thankful for the opportunity to rethink my life at such a pivotal moment. Not many can say that they were able to take an essentially expense-free trip (yipppeee for scholarships) to one of their dream cities. The first part of summer 2010 was probably the hardest few weeks of my life. I was physically and emotionally drained. I questioned my friendships and my future career path, but July/August 2010 was a complete 180. My stress monkey self was calm, joyful, and spontaneous. It was almost as if I transformed into a different person in a little over a month. Is that even possible? I think so.

I couldn't be more thankful for this time with lifelong friends and my first experience truly enjoying my own company. London changed everything. 

Do you have a past trip/moment/experience that changed the direction of your own life?