Growing Up

"Who said that every wish
Would be heard and answered
When wished on the morning star
Somebody thought of that
And someone believed it
And look what it's done so far 

What's so amazing
That keeps us stargazing
And what do we think we might see
Some day we'll find it
The rainbow connection
The lovers, the dreamers, and me."

                             ⚫️⚫️⚫️

I dreamt of being denied visas and of Chinese Embassies gone wrong. I shook it off, climbed out of bed, and prepared a thermos of coffee to go. I headed through the cold morning back to Embassy. Take two. 

I got there five minutes early to be responsible. Yesterday there was only two other people in the office so I wasn't concerned. I turned the corner and saw fifteen people lined up outside the door. That was a lovely surprise. So I waited in line and prepared my paperwork. 

(There are AMAZING pictures in this one. I promise. Keep going!)

I finally got to the front desk. The same woman who helped me yesterday helped me again today. She looked at all my paperwork and said it looked good. She said it would be read Monday. I leave Sunday for Spain. But I thought I'll just have my family send it to me. The woman told me to make a copy of my passport then I'll be all set! So I made a quick copy, handed it to her, and put my passport back in my bag. She chuckled and said, "No, I need that too." 

I would say I'm a pretty reasonable person most of the time. When I'm hungry, I'm not. I can be cranky with lack of sleep. But apparently applying for a visa sets me off too. I told her that is not possible. Then I informed her that the website, which is handing out two year old forms, also said I can ask for the same day pick ups. She said, "Oh, of course ma'am. But that does not apply for citizens of France, the Netherlands, and America." So, here is my offical warning dear readers. Beware French, Americans, and the Dutch. We take more time to process and WE WILL GET YOU. ... Apparently. 

I essentially threw a fit in the office. They brought out a woman from the back office who, in an effort to keep the peace in her office, let me pick it up Friday for a fee. I left equal parts annoyed and victorious. 

On the train ride home, I couldn't help but think, "Holy cow... I think that means I'm an adult." No, I didn't have that moment going to Europe by myself. No, it took throwing a hissy fit in an office to realize this. I started thinking about how being an adult sneaks up on you. I swear I was just a kid who never could have dealt with crazy visa applications. Now I did one by myself?! What is this mayhem? 

After lunch, because the sun was coming out, I was going to take Retta on a quick 20 minute walk. We started out. I put music on for our jaunt. Because the concept of adulthood was dauntingly close, I scanned for a playlist of my "childhood." Now anyone who has met my dad will understand this next statement. The playlist I chose was my "Oldies But Goodies" playlist containing mostly Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and Johnny Cash. If that is my childhood, I don't know what is. I kept walking and walking. Retta was a loyal companion and frolicked through the snow. 

My twenty minute walk ended up being two and a half hours. I kept saying just a little bit more. Finally I reached the top of the mountain. I guess whether it's the Chinese Embassy or a mountain, you have to just do it. But it was worth it when my view was this:

I victoriously looked down the mountain and felt pretty proud. I may not be... I probably am not ... I hopefully am not an adult yet, but I can handle any mountain I need to climb. I'd say that's a success. 

Retta and I crossed the ridge, then headed back down towards home. Never disappointed with nature's gift of beauty. On the way down, I smiled as Willie Nelson sang "Rainbow Connection." I smiled because of the memories his voice brings me. But I smiled also because I love that song for saying it's not only the lovers and dreamers who find the rainbow connection. Sometimes it's just amazing just to be stargazing. 

When I got home, I relaxed for a bit. But then I decided to make some chocolate chip blondie bars for everyone. Uncle Sig told me I would have to come back every three days to make more. Tom and Stef both expressed they liked them. Florian refused to tell me they were good, but he ate five in about three minutes. So I'm counting the bars as the final success of the day.