26 Weeks, 26 Books, 26 Authors: Icelandic Reflections

Summers in Chicago share a connection with those in my home state, South Carolina: hot, humid, stormy. The weather is as predictable as the Amazonian Rainforest with showers and thunderstorms usually commencing around the beginning of rush hour wreaking havoc on the commuting citizens of the Windy City. As soon as the weather rolls in, it clears and the day is steamy and cloudless. Families with their adventurous dogs soon fill the streets and evening socialization begins.

Thus far, in the summer of 2013, Chicagoans are a little paler than usual. Our predictable, steamy summer is not here. Most days are overcast and chilly. Hoodies of every color adorn the people of Rogers Park and others in Chicago. Some people have even taken to pulling out scarves from a long winter thought to be in our past.

What strikes me the most about this summer is how considerably close it is to the time I spent in Iceland approximately a year and a week ago. I live for temperatures in the 50s and 60s, and that is just what I got, then and now. Stepping off of the plane last summer was like stepping back one season. Keflavik was chilly at 2AM. A vast, barren lava field, Keflavik more resembles the surface of another planet rather than that of our home. Stretching endlessly were outcroppings of black popping up from the ground. In the distance, volcanos are shrouded behind steaming geothermal vents testing time and the strength of those who inhabit Iceland. The Reykjanes Peninsula is virtually swallowed by the ocean to the west and mountains to the east. It is amazing to know people live there. Exiting a plane in Chicago, as we all know and can imagine, shows us towering monoliths that are a reminder of the human spirit. In Iceland, nature's spirit is in full glory. The people live with nature; nature does not live with them.

Since my trekking in Iceland, I have been pondering all of the possibilities of how to go back. The airfare is reasonable, the accommodations are reasonable, the rental cars are reasonable. Why haven't I returned? It could be that I am afraid to see too much of a good thing so soon again. I do not want the island's majesty to wear off (if even possible). Maybe I am waiting for something bigger to draw me back to this place.

For now, I will share a couple of pictures of Iceland. Last year, I managed to see and do everything my bucket list had ever allowed up to that point. Unfortunately, once my bucket list empties, it refills. Now that I have gotten Iceland out of the way, other regions of the country have become part of the list. I am happy to say I was able to see the good people of Iceland and experience such a phenomenal part of Earth. I will be back sooner than later, I imagine. Until then, I will relive it through pictures and reflections.