Sam, Gus and Suzy Peterson

A disclaimer to MBG: You will not want to read part one. Trust me.

PART ONE:
Today, I encountered a mouse while I was waiting for the tube.
This was a first for me, never having encountered such a sight in Glasgow. It was appropriately "mouse brown" and put on a good show of mouse bravery, running around the platform (and venturing quite near to me) before the train arrived.
I was so fascinated with watching what it might do next, that I couldn't be bothered to fish my camera out of my bag. As I watched, my terrific imagination kicked in, and I wondered how it had spent the day, where it might be off to next, and if it had been so fortunate to be named, was it called Sam, Gus or Suzy Peterson? I wondered if my small, furry friend might join us for the journey, but before I could inquire after its plans, it scurried away as the train arrived.
[MBG: if you are reading this, I DID NOT have any contact with the mouse, don't worry]


PART TWO (mouse-free):

Over the weekend I met up with my youngest cousin, who is in London to study for this term. I’m glad he has the opportunity to experience living in another culture for a bit; we should all be so fortunate. We walked over a good part of the west end, and I introduced him to my limited knowledge of my new city, and broader knowledge of British culture.

It was a bit strange to see him in this context, a young adult, free of family, living alone in London. I am used to seeing him at family functions; attached to parents, siblings, grandparents, etc. Yet here he is in London, and I am spouting off history, useless trivia, and introducing him to Lyle’s Golden Syrup.

As we walked down the Strand talking about family, school and life, I had a sudden, specific memory of him in his infancy (I kept this thought to myself). Stranger still to realize that this young man walking next to me was the same person I had held on my lap over two decades ago (TWO decades…how old does this make me??). This makes him the same age as some of the participants I prepared to come to Glasgow. And time keeps marching on…