...in a very reel sense...

Back in St Andrews today, on the other side of genuinely one of the funnest weekends of my whole life. I went, I reeled, I survived. It was great. There were a few moments when they were teaching us the reels the night before where I felt downright dejected at my own incompetence. 


And who knows, maybe there seemed to be less pressure at the actual event, maybe it was the sight of my friends looking so smart in their dresses and kilts, or maybe it was the excellent leading by Sandy, Hugh, Frankie and even occasionally Torc (when he wasn't trying to trick me- j/k) but I think I did okay. Iona gave both me and Taylor a gold star afterwards, so that's gotta count for something. 


All my limbs are still sore, but it was worth it. There's a special camaraderie of looking for the person you're dancing with while you're spinning in a crowd of other people. Knowing that you're a little bit responsible for each other. And that-- in the context of this small thing--  you're either going to sink or swim together. I loved getting the moves right equally as much as when the whole thing broke down-- when Torcuil and Iona's dad, Hugh, would deliberately make the circle go faster than necessary, to make us all laugh. Or when Hugh spun me so fast, my feet were literally off the floor. Or when Torcuil spun me so fast, I slipped and hit the floor (Torc's body count was two that night, in fact!) 


And so my point is this: so much of my life, and indeed American life, is this "making your own way"-ness. But I've found in Scotland something only barely glimpsed in America. These days of togetherness and being responsible for each other. Of agreeing it's okay to mess up in front of each other. To laugh with, at, and for each other. 


Because after all, at the end of the night, we're all going to go back and drink whisky together. Listen to Sophie sing together. Get up in the morning and go for a beautiful hike with picnic lunches together. And it's times like this that remind me why I am most freely happy here as I've ever been. That where my mission may take me as years go by, there will always be a piece of my heart and soul dancing and spinning free in Scotland in a room full of my friends each with their arm out to catch mine.