A Feather and A Wish

As hot and sweaty as I feel right now, it's hard to believe that so recently my main concern was being cold. It was chilly and autumnal in the way one would expect, and I walked around craving woolen things. I imagined something soft and richly colored, preferably hand-knit. That's all I thought I wanted.

Scotland in particular put me in that mood, and I decided I would buy a gorgeous scarf there, as much for warmth as for remembrance. Even in California when I wasn't cold anymore I would fling my luxurious scarf dashingly around my neck with the flair of a person who knows how to do that, and if anyone complimented me on it, I'd say, "Oh, this? I bought it in Scotland."

Well, we hiked and drove in Scotland, and we surely spent money in restaurants, but no commerce arose and no goods were procured. I didn't even manage a wander into any of the charity shops in Edinburgh, which seemed to be numerous, let alone the finer stores. And so I never bought a nice wool scarf in Scotland.

But I did not leave empty-handed.

On our last day in Edinburgh, we walked up to Arthur's Seat in Holyrood Park high above the city, and I found a very fine feather to take home with me.

I also saw these words below, and I tucked into my heart the sentiment expressed:

I’ll be back.

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