My 10th Anniversary of Returning to America

It was on this date 10 years ago that Pony (then 13 months old) and I touched down on a jam-packed USAirways flight from Gatwick. Pony had a much better flight than I did -- and my seat cost a damn sight more than her place in a huge crate donated by British Airways (I kid you not. They GAVE it to us after hearing my story.) Soon after that flight, USAirways stopped allowing dogs on trans-Atlantic flights. I'm sure it was just a coincidence, but I can't help but wonder what Pony did during her time in the crate with the flight crew.

I had spent the last five years homeless in England because I'd fallen in love with what then I thought was "my soulmate" (ugh) and who turned out to be a monster. Both Pony and I got beat up by this guy. I finally left him for good on 26 December 2004 (same day as the Asian Tsunami, coincidentally) and tried to live with Pony as an illegal alien in the Bath area. I finally threw in the towel in the first week of August 2005 when my home in the woods (called a bender) was burnt down and the fire officials thought it was arson. I contacted Mom and she took me and Pony in.

So, ten years later, what have I learned?

• I felt most at home in England when I was homeless than I do homed in the US
• Like Barbie, I can't seem to hold down a steady job
• Meeting Peter Gabriel never grows old
• Writing a book is a million times easier than selling a book
• Unless it involves money, no one really cares what you think, feel, do, or say
• Fantasies change. Ten years ago, I used to fantasize about having a stable full of sexy guys to ride. Now I fantasize about being the last human being on earth because that's the only way I'd every get a horse.
• Life seems empty until you have someone to take care of.