A Life Resumed

A year ago we packed our life into storage and flew across the ocean for an amazing adventure. It wasn’t easy, selling our first house on short notice, leaving behind everything we spent a decade building, but we did it because we’ve always believed in following our dreams. I never imagined marrying a teacher would take me so many places, but we decided from the start that keeping the hubby in a classroom full-time was the best way to spur his career, whatever that meant for our living arrangements.

But England, we seriously never expected that!

I’ve written a lot about life lived in limbo, the trials and challenges of a temporary living situation. It’s difficult to make plans when you don’t know where you’ll be in a year, in six months, in a month. When we arrived in England, we had no idea how long we’d be here or what awaited us. We hoped there might be an opportunity to find something long-term, but we also missed the life we had in Canada, investing in our own home, laying the foundation for expanding our family. Living in a furnished apartment with only what we fit in four suitcases helped us identify the things we consider important. In the digital age, it’s easy to connect to all your friends and family. But there are some things you always miss; your bed, your computer desk. If you’re anything like me, your library.

England has been fabulous. We’ve met many amazing people and I hope to keep in touch with them after the move. There is history everywhere you turn in almost every town here in England. It’s something we’ve commented on since our arrival; the strange juxtaposition between ultra-modern and the remains of history. We’ve walked atop a medieval city wall, walked the streets of a medieval city turned modern (with a street or two preserved). We’ve walked the walls and halls of a castle still in use, and we’ve wandered the ruins of castles perched on cliff edges, long since turned to ruins. We’ve seen Scotland’s rugged mountains and glimmering lochs. I have enough inspiration from our time here to last the rest of my life.

We will miss walking down the street with history right beside us. We will miss living in a country easily travelled from one end to the other by train (in Canada, you pretty much have to fly). Most of all, we’ll miss the people. England has given us so much, it’s hard to think about putting it behind us. But we left pieces of ourselves in Canada when we flew across the ocean.

The first thing I fell in love with when we came to England was the tree outside our bedroom window. It had been a long time since I had a tree growing so close to a place I lived. I lay in bed many a night watching the branches sway while I tried to fall asleep. That vision got me through many rough nights, including a pretty hefty bout of insomnia. A few weeks ago, the downstairs neighbours removed that tree from their garden. The view outside the window now is clear blue sky, but I miss the swaying branches of that tree. Somehow, when they cut it down, I knew it was time to go. We learned the lessons England had to teach; it’s time to move on. The winds of change are welcome, though they always bring new challenges. Moving across an ocean and a continent in the span of a month is no small feat (at the time of writing I’m still in disbelief)!

I hate to run off on another hiatus when I’ve just returned, but that’s the nature of moving! While I’m flying back across the ocean in search of a new house, you can read more about my adventures in England, if you like. Or you can check out my debut novel, Island of Lost Forevers. Don’t forget you can read the first three chapters FREE right here. Catch you on the flip-side, two weeks from now! (Wish me luck!)