I’ve been walking in fields.
Pet sitting took me to yet another place I never knew existed.
Kenilworth is a market town in Warwickshire in the West Midlands of England. When I mentioned to friends and family that it was on my itinerary, people brought up the castle. It turns out that it’s a pretty famous one. Kenilworth Castle was founded during the Norman conquest of England in the 1120s.
Fun fact about me: My surname, Britt, is a descriptive name of Norman origin for people from Breton. Because of this connection, I love when I stumble upon Norman history.
So I was off to stay in a town with a famous castle and a chill golden retriever.
Orwell, my love.
Orwell’s favorite walks were through fields. We saw late summer crop remnants, herds of cows and flocks of sheep. We saw the castle in the distance. We saw golden light and golden fields.
It felt like a return to childhood to me. Not that there were castles where I grew up in North Carolina (though I did visit Blenheim Palace on a school field trip before my family moved from England to NC). Growing up on a farm with fields and other farms all around, I was able to wander by myself and explore and (depending on the season) still be in sight of our house. I love the feeling of crossing a field. When the crops are freshly cut, you’ll have crickets and grasshoppers jump across your path and remind you that you aren’t alone. A field is a place of contemplation and imagination for me. And as I walked with my newest best friend, that feeling came rushing back.
Another place of childhood imagination is a castle. If we get the opportunity to visit a castle, our imaginations run wild. If we don’t get that opportunity, we imagine castles in many other places.
I never made promises lightly. (Part of Kenilworth Castle)
I've always had an active imagination and when spending time alone I found myself making mental connections. Connections between any- and everything. My history connects to the history of the place I’m in. A view reminds me of a similar view in a different location. A walk reminds me of a song.
Making connections has always been my way of understanding the world. I don’t remember things that I can’t connect to. My memory can only hold information if it is related in some way (no matter how lightly or distantly) to something else. This way of being has helped me as an improviser (I think comedy is funnier with call-backs) and in being a resource for knowledge for coworkers.
Some people find it annoying or irritating for others to constantly be sharing ‘fun facts’ but for me it’s a way to show I care about what you’re talking about and give you something that might be of use in the future.
I may not have money or spectacular talents but I can give you information and connections. And I can appreciate the present moment.
We'll forget the sun in his jealous sky as we walk in fields of gold.
My time in Kenilworth was precious to me. I had time to walk and contemplate. Time to imagine the future. And I had the companionship of a pet who would sit with me while I sat with my feelings. This moment of fields and castles has become a pivotal moment for me. My life is changing and I’m making it happen.
Follow along if you like and remember — Even tiny adventures matter.