About Time: Me
London was the first thing that was uniquely me. I had always existed in the context of my family, which is no one’s fault. I grew up in a household that was incredibly tight-knit which left me little to no room for real independence. So as soon as I had the chance, I moved across the world. Not because I didn’t have so much love for my family, but because it was time. Time for me to grow on my own.
Moving to a place completely foreign to me was terrifying. Not only had I moved to the other side of the globe, but it was also my first time ever being away from home. The plane ride across the pond was treacherous and tear-filled. I spent the duration of the flight wiping snot from my face onto my tear-dampened sweatshirt, cycling through movies that attempted to make me crack a smile. I was so excited for this journey, but it also meant being isolated from my parents and my sister for eight months. I tried not to cry and I thought to myself, “You asked for this.” But all that did was make me cry more. My tone was harsh.
I spent my first few days in Hampstead Heath finding my bearings. I spent several hours on a Saturday afternoon travelling back and forth on the tube, looking like a dumb tourist with City Mapper at the ready on my iPhone. I felt completely alone, though I was surrounded by strangers everywhere I looked.
When I first saw my bedroom in my first grownup apartment, I started bawling once again. I had never been more petrified in my entire life. My tears were muffled by a booming echo, though. I crawled onto the mattress and peered out the window, and saw the London Overground chugging on right below my room. I would have to listen to this train go by every hour for the next eight months. Can you guess what I did when I figured this out?
Get Keira Jameson’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
Once I made my room feel like my own was when London really began to feel like home. I hadn’t even processed the fact that I would have to attend classes at a new school, and be the new girl for the first time in seven years. Again, I grew more and more scared. On the night before I was to attend my first day of school, I sought a vehicle for my sadness and fear. I immediately turned to my apple library, and put on my favorite movie in the world.
The movie takes place in Cornwall and London. Cornwall holds incredible memories I have shared with my family since we sought calm at the end of every summer in the countryside. I became determined to ensure London was uniquely mine. But before I was able to accomplish such a feat, I had to get over the lump in my throat that feared the unknown.
I watched my favorite movie and cried some more, but not because of one concrete emotion. It made me nostalgic. It caused me to mourn my childhood and everything in my life that once was, but at the same time, it represented something so beautiful. I was blossoming into a real person that lived a real life on her own in a new place. I did something that was so out of my comfort zone, and this movie reminded me of that. I recognized that perhaps some of my life had passed me by, but now in this new chapter of my life I can still keep things that remind me of my past. I will never forget the comfort About Time brought me in a moment of vulnerability and terror, and after that I grew wings.
Living in London, as I rapidly began to understand, was one of the best decisions I ever made. I met incredible people that I know will be there for me indefinitely, but above all I was able to learn a great deal about myself. I was thrown into something completely foreign, but used things like film as an anchor that tied me back to my home and my youth. I grew to become an adult during my time abroad, but through my childhood exposure to the beauty of movies, I was able to take my home with me.
This film is incredibly close to my heart because of its stunning depiction of what it means to live. I learned through its plotline that sometimes the worst days are much more beautiful than you can see, since often we are too distracted by abstract moments that cloud our perspective. My life is ever-changing, and likely will not conclude with a solid fairytale ending like we see in princess movies and magical stories. Until very recently, I had trouble grappling with this fact. This film (as cheesy as it sounds) granted me a new perspective on what it means to live life to its fullest. We go through life thinking about the next great thing to happen, overlooking obstacles and mundane events that seem unimportant. But the truth is, those moments are often the most incredible.
