London Bridge is falling down...

Well, not really :)

 

My first trip to London, and MAN, you need to be on your game in this city.  It's a madhouse, literally...and makes Dublin look like a low-key walk in the park.
I'm still jet-lagged and waking up in the middle of the night wide-eyed and ready to rock.  Interestingly, at 4am you literally CAN rock here...not only is it somewhat light outside, people are actually out doing things!

My hotel room here is very nice, and at 4 in the morning, my rainfall shower is the perfect way to start the day.  Add Rum body wash, Peppermint shampoo and Cilantro conditioner, and it's just plain fabulous.  Those are also standard room amenities :)

I attended a press event today, my first one ever, and it was a great experience.  We rode a "rocket boat" down the river Thames, and it was just spectacular!  The river boasts fabulous views of Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, London Bridge, and the big ferris wheel...not sure what the official name is.  I was thinking it might be fun to ride that, but as my mom pointed out before I left, that's always the first landmark to get blown up in action movies...best to leave that to the other tourists I suppose. 

They have fabulous phone booths on every corner here, and I just had to
take a picture, despite the locals looking at me like I was mad. It reminded me of Dr. Who...an awesome TV show you should definitely check out if you haven't already...only surpassed in awesomeness by "Sherlock", the BBCs most fantastic creation ever.  I need to  visit Baker Street while I'm here...

I wandered along the crazy busy streets thinking I'd take advantage of the fashion hub London is know for. I went into a huge clothing store, packed full of people, and it reminded me of a clothes-only version of Walmart. There were hoards of people, clothes thrown everywhere, lines a mile long, and I think I was the only shopper in the store that was speaking English. I thought Dublin was worldly, and now I realize that was just pure naivete.

Abandoning the frenzied department store, I went to some of the more boutique-esque shops along the street. All I found were fashion trends I can only describe as trashy 80's retro, boasting schizophrenic designs and obnoxious neon colors. Clearly I wouldn't be buying clothes in London.  I know, I'm so boring! 
At the press event I had two bites of a warm chicken salad sandwich with bacon and too much mayo...it immediately turned my stomach.  So while walking around the city I decided ice cream would be the best fix for an upset tummy.  It was. 

As I was walking around, taking in the hoards of diverse people, shops, and agendas, it struck me that we put ourselves in specific boxes...at work, at home, in general.  When you take yourself out of your box and look around, the possibilities of directions to go in and areas to pursue are endless.  If you woke up one day in the middle of London with no past, no future, and no plan...how would you start your new path?  What directions would you look to go in?  What kind of new life would you build for yourself?  It's not just fun to think about, it's actually a great exercise in validating whether you're happy with your current box or not.  Sometimes we get so caught up in the rut, we run right past the other amazing possibilities right in front of us.