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By Jan Marshall

It’s a difficult week with painful memories of loss to our country and worldwide grief over losing a woman of regal stature, Queen Elizabeth. 

I had no personal connection with her, but I did with her mother, also known as the Queen Mum, after I awarded her by mail (as the founder of the International Humor and Healing Institute), the 1991 International Humor Award because she was extremely warm and funny.

Reflecting back to an earlier time in the mid ‘70s when my husband and I actually visited England. I recall an air of excitement as I wore my Greta Garbo hat, with my trench coat across my shoulder.

Surely intrigue and adventure would be our co-pilot. That thought evaporated when the hardy voice of the pilot welcomed us and announced our movie would be a Disney flick. Really!  I had envisioned a spy caper to go with my outfit rather than a talking car. Oh, well. Things surely would improve. 

We did not hear from the pilot again until we fell sleep. He was kind enough to point out the cumulus clouds on our left. We arrived at Heathrow Airport where a driver was to meet us, according to our travel agent.. He never showed up.

We grabbed a cab and experienced our first language challenge. The driver spoke English of a different kind. He was cockney and we were from Brooklyn, so the conversation went nowhere. He also mistook my husband for a governor. How absurd. A prince, yes, but a governor?

We were dropped off at the Churchill Hotel. The lobby was crowded to capacity as there was a flower convention and the town was filled with salesmen and petunias.

We had reservations, but they couldn’t find them. Forty-five bleary-eyed minutes later they found it under W. Naturally, what is a w but an upside m?

The rest of the trip was a delight.

We strolled through Charles Dickens’ home. I felt his spirit. We also drove through Shakespeare country, and I felt his spirit.

During our stay we visited seven pubs and, oh yeah, we sure felt lots of spirit.

It was a jolly time for us. And my fear of not understanding how to figure out British currency wasn’t an issue. Luckily, everything was so expensive that there was never any change to figure out.

Best part? Knowing Shakespeare wrote “The Taming of the Shrew,” and it was about me!

— Jan Marshall

Jan Marshall’s life’s work is devoted to humor and healing through books, columns and consulting. A humorist and television host, she is a Certified Master Hypnotherapist. In 1986 she founded the International Humor & Healing Institute. Her board members included Norman Cousins, Steve Allen, Dr. Bernie Siegel and John Cleese, plus other physicians and entertainers. She wrote the satirical survival book, Dancin’ Schmancin’ with the Scars: Finding the Humor No Matter What! As a survivor, she donates a percentage of book profits to the American Cancer Society, American Brain Tumor Association, Wounded Warriors and The Laguna Woods Village Foundation. She's also written two children's books, The Littlest Hero and The Toothbush Who Tried To Get Away.