Sabbatical

Sometimes life feels like a constant uphill struggle, a never-ending series of merciless obstacles to beat you down and let you know that no one makes it through this world unscathed.

And then sometimes you find yourself sipping a cup of tea while gazing out the kitchen window of a charming house in a beautiful English village, contemplating what you’re going to do with the six months stretching out enticingly before you.

Rob and I are taking advantage of a magnificent concept called sabbatical. Hard to believe it, but he’s been at WPU for 7 years now and became eligible for some time off to do research and work away from campus. Never one to pass up a good opportunity, he went for it. (Astonishingly, the majority of people who have access to this incredible job perk decline to take it. Why??) Naturally, we decided to use this time to return to England so the kids can grow to understand some of their British cultural heritage and spend quality time with their grandparents and cousins, and also so Rob can reconnect with his roots after being away from his homeland for so long.

We feel like this is a great chance for us to have a sort of intermission in our lives, to hit the reset button and try to gain some clarity and focus about what we want the next years of our lives to look like.

When we first considered doing this, we both thought, Yes! This will be awesome! And then once he got the green light and plans began turning from theoretical to concrete, we started thinking, Oh. My. Word. This is going to take a ton of work! Seriously, I think it’s taken the past 6 months to prepare for these next 6 months. And we kept thinking, This better be worth it!

It was all such a whirlwind of planning the logistics and packing up the house and trying to prepare the kids for starting at a new school, that I really gave very little thought to how I would feel, being back in England. I started my adult and married life in this country. I lived here from age 22-26. It was a hugely formative time for me. And it’s strange to be back again, 13 years later.  

There is a feeling that there’s a divine order to us being here. We believe that God is directing all of our lives, but honestly, much of the time things feel pretty chaotic and rough-and-tumble and surely not quite the way it’s meant to be?! But this whole endeavor, it just seems different. Honestly, it kind of feels like we’ve been dropped onto a movie set. We’re staying in a beautiful pastor’s manse that backs onto the picturesque village Baptist church.

In my youth I dreamed of living in an English village, but that long ago went the way of being a Broadway dancer and an Olympic gymnast. Since we moved to America in 2001, I’ve tended to think of England with a been-there-done-that mentality. So it’s kind of a shock to suddenly wake up in a life I once dreamed of but long ago forgot about. It’s only a temporary situation, and that’s even better. It feels more dreamlike, and I think when life offers you some magic, you’ve gotta run with it.

Both kids have started school here, and it’s going pretty well. We’ve all been welcomed with great friendliness and hospitality. Sophie’s school is literally a minute’s walk away, and Elliot’s is about ten minutes. That means I’m getting 40 minutes of walking in a day, which is excellent. It’s so mild here that it’s a joy to be able to be outside and not get frostbite. I can’t believe all the flowers that are blooming.

You have to look for them – it’s not like it’s June and flowers are everywhere – but to see blooms at all in January is extraordinary. I’m dying to know what this tree is. They look like juicy ripe cherries, but surely that can’t be?

Everything we need is within walking distance – groceries, banks, cafes, pubs, fish and chippies – and yet it feels very quiet and small.

A tidiness and gentleness pervades. Sometimes I feel like I’m in an episode of Midsomer Murders, especially when I open our garden gate. I hear it creak and think I’d better look over my shoulder – the camera’s about to focus on my feet as a thud is heard and my bags tumble to the ground!

So, we shall see what these months away will bring. It’s not all tea shops and strolls through the garden, sadly. Reality hit this week when we found out that our pipes froze and burst back at home. Seriously, that is such a cliché thing to happen. groooooaaaannnnnnn

Well, it’s time to go fetch the kids from school. Maybe I’ll grab some bread and we can feed the ducks.

Ta ta!