White feather on a train window

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It all began with a white feather on a train window, fluttering in the wind.
Or did it?

By the way this is the start of my foray into blogging, and is a bit random, so you may wish to skip this entry unless you are into spiritual crap.

Hurtling full speed on the intercity train from York to Londons King Cross with a hangover was bound to result in a variety of emotions: despair, discomfort and bewilderment being just a few. But the beginnings of a long journey along the path of enlightenment which would see me travel to the Middle East across the Indian Ocean into India and then to Sri Lanka, all aided by the help of a 'spirit guide' - it doesn't seem likely, or didn't until 4.17pm on Sunday.

My head was pressed against the train window, mainly to help cool my pounding head. The merry magic at Bex and Marc's wedding the night before was taking it's toll. Had I really been swimming this morning and tramped all around the old city wall's of York in a bid to make myself feel like I was getting the most out of life, even with a hangover?!

Anyway back to the white feather:
Opening my eyes for a moment to take a glimpse at the glorious british countryside my view was distracted by a white feather (rather large, rather white and quite fluffly looking I may add) waving at me in the wind. How strange I thought, that won't be there for long.

But as the train sped up and whistled through tunnels and onwards, hurtling towards London at terrifying speeds, so the feather maintained it's stronghold on the outside of the pane of window inline with my right eye. Sometimes still, sometimes flapping madly in a bid to break free from whatever it was that kept it there, the feather I was sure would be gone long before my journey ended.

Unfortunately for my tired mind, the feather it seems was as stubborn as me. Dedicated to make a point of somekind it hung onto the window, despite the fact that by now it must have been wondering what made it think this was a good idea at the time.

Throughout my train journey my mind became largely occupied by questions about the feather. Where did it come from? Duck? Swan? How did it get there? Had floated majestically in the wind until by soem twist of fate it got stuck against the train window or was there someone out there strange enough to stick it on there? (It did look rather well tucked into the corner of the window pane) Had my tired brain I imagined it? (photographic evidence later discredits this argument!) By the end of the journey I was exhausted by white feather ideas and explanations. Wasn't there some kind of phrase or saying about white feathers and what they signified?

Later that night I gress restless and googled "white feather on a train window" in a desparate bid to get some answers. Interestingly it threw up a love poem about some guy who was in love with a girl on a train (his white feather). Further googling led me to discover that however the feather got there, it definitely had a purpose to get me to question a few things.

The British Army sees the white feather as a sign of cowardice, or surrender. Apt then that I should see this as I embark on a travel expedition on my own which I am pretty terrified of! In contrast the US military use the white feather to commerate those who have shown extreme signs of bravery in combat. Hmmm well my friends to keep telling me I'm brave, and who knows I might make it to a real combat zone one of these days.

After further research I also discovered that white feathers are seen as a symbol of new beginnings, the start of a journey to enlightenment, or even a sign that a spirit guide is looking at for you.

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Photos

White feather on a train window
See there really was a white feather on my train window!

White feather waving at me
Rustling in the wind, the white feather dances as it sings to me!