I often feel that London is a being rather than a location, some omniscient deity that watches over its inhabitants and gives them what they need. Tonight, for instance, London gave me what I needed to find my way home.
I went to meet friends in Carnaby Street for dinner, and then decided to walk home, across London. The lawyer training kicked in and I decided to multi-task, and chatted away to my brother on my Blackberry as I meandered east. When I hung up the phone, however, I found myself in a dark, desolate area of the City. From Monday to Friday, I would have stood shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of people going about their business, but on a Sunday night, around 10 pm, it felt like the loneliest place in the world. There was not even a comforting light from a flat to give me some assurance that there wasn't, in fact, a monster lurking around the next corner. I had no idea where I was, or which way home was.
I began to feel nervous, looking up for a familiar landmark in the distance. I punched numbers into my Blackberry, hoping for someone, anyone, to pick up and speak to me soothingly as I searched for the next busy road, to laugh with me at my own hysteria. Rain fell in puddles. Every sound was magnified by my anxiety, including the sound of my own heart pounding. The absence of street noise, of cabs making their way past, suddenly felt thick in the air . I picked up my pace, walking aimlessly in a randomly chosen direction, striding purposefully in case anyone was watching me.
And then, I happened upon a corner where an art gallery stood closed, its interior lights still illuminating its display. There in the window, framed, in large white letters on a red background, the following words shone out at me:
"Keep Calm and Carry On"
It was just what I needed. I stopped, took a deep breath, and looked around me. After I'd calmed, I could hear the sound of street traffic. Walking towards it, I found myself on busy Clerkenwell Road, with buses homeward streaking by. Heaving a sigh of relief, I realised I'd made it out of the woods. London had shown me the way out of one of its many mazes. Just Keep Calm and Carry On. Sage advice from a wise old lady.