…Life goes as quickly as if it had wings.

I have no idea how many times I've told that story over the last 20 years. With each telling of that moment in time, it comes from further in the past, the images blurring more and more around the edges. Now I find myself wondering; Do I really remember that moment or have I just told the story so many times that I simply think I remember it? Like reflecting on a book read long ago, the sense of the story is there, the basic plot and characters, but the details are faded and many completely lost. And it was exactly this analogy that prompted me to consider re-reading that story, revisiting the site of the happiest moment of my life, and possibly once again run through the streets of Dublin in the rain.

But how does a single mother with no money and barely even a job go about buying a plane ticket to Europe? I started by calling the one person I know in Ireland and asking her, "How do I, a single mother with no money and barely even a job go about buying a plane ticket to Ireland?" Her response; "Just buy the ticket." I proceeded to give her a rundown of all the obstacles that would keep me from revisiting the site of the happiest moment of my life: What would I do with my daughter? What if I got a real job in the meantime? How would I justify spending the money? My Irish friend (being a single mother with no money and barely even a job herself) simply stated, "Just buy the ticket. Just buy the ticket. C'mon, Steph, there's lots of good crack to be had. Just buy the ticket."

Maybe I'll just buy the ticket.