9. Day 29: What I Have Learned From Taking 7 Weeks Off
What have I learned from taking seven weeks off from our normal daily life? 1. There is no such thing as taking off from daily life. (life and the dailiness continues, just differently) 2. Life continues too, abundantly 3. The trip really began when we allowed ourselves to think it was possible (this began in intention over a year ago, in reality over six months ago) 4. It all started with this thought: We’d love to return to England. 5. We can only take off from our businesses because we have an incredible, trustworthy, capable team taking care of day to day business 6. I miss...
Read More9. Day 28: Joy Is Maintenance & Logistics
Have you ever noticed that no matter how fabulous everything is it all comes down to the basics of eating, resting and where the nearest toilet is. Just ask any event planner. We have truly had the most incredible trip in every way, AND we can still fall to bits in want of a toilet (or the 30 pence to pay to get in) or a drink of water or a place to sit down after miles of walking. Logistics is never sexy but always needed. Maintenance rarely makes it into budgets unless your accountant reminds you and yet this is what stands between joy and and utter discomfort and possibly misery....
Read More9. Day 27: 34 Years Of Living Joy
I never knew that one of my biggest “accomplishments” would be to have been married for a long time. I had an inkling this would be so at 10 years when we celebrated our anniversary in Quetta, Pakistan with Army friends from around the world. 10 years of marriage is quite the milestone, especially in the military. Then at 20 years we celebrated having only recently arrived in USA. At 30 years new friends gasp at our longevity as partners and perfect strangers offer congratulations and ask “How’d you do it?” It seems I have become an expert at something I...
Read More9. Day 26: Joy Is Relaxing
We had one of our most relaxing days on Christmas day yesterday. There is zero public transport on Christmas (and also very limited on Boxing Day) so felt no pull whatsoever to go out for any reason. We luxuriated in pj’s all day, starting with coffee and Christmas cake and finishing with port from Fortum & Mason’s. We talked, laughed, colored in our fancy coloring books from the Derwent Pencil Museum and prepared a yummy feast with what we found at the M & S Express (the small corner store version of Marks & Spencer’s). We had a breakfast of eggs, toast and...
Read More9. Day 25: The Joy Of Christmas Presence
This holiday to England has been all about presence. Presence with our own hearts, presence with each one we were privileged to spend time with and presence with what gifts life brought to us each and every day. Christmas Presence is that time when we all join together in that beautiful presence of love that is always within us. We have met numerous people who celebrate Christmas and the deeper meaning of “God-With-Us” in Emmanuel’s birth without knowing very much about the original Christmas story. The Bible tells us “You will know them by their love.”...
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