Ten Years in the Making

I am on my way to Ireland.
There. I said it. I've alluded to it here but have yet to outright tell you about it. I was protecting the news like a precious secret not because I had to but because I didn't really believe it was true. Not really... But now I'm mere hours away from a flight to Dublin so I better start believing.
You see - it was over ten years ago now that I was supposed to go and I did not. The reasons no longer matter. What does matter is that it has become one of my life regrets. One of the few.
So in recognition of this I applied for the one artist residency I could find nearby where I was supposed to go back in college. Co. Donegal spans the nw corner of Ireland and is somewhat isolated and not as touristed. It also is still counted as a gaeltacht (gaelic speaking) region.
This residency was such a "pie in the sky" that I never truly expected to get it. When I did get it I could barely talk about it. That is how magical it was to me.
Now I am finally going and I'm way past overdue for speaking of it here. But I believe my silence has been necessary. The mere preparations for this trip have been healing. And all the funny little synchronicities have just confirmed for me that I'm on the right path.
A good friend of mine made an interesting point about it all:
That the trauma of ten years ago was necessary to shape me into who I am today. And that perhaps it was necessary for me to travel now instead of back then because truly I was not yet ready.
Now. Today and in this moment with two hours to go:
I am ready.