Travels

About 9 years ago my husband was offered a visiting lectureship in London. We jumped at the chance for adventure. We had been living in Flagstaff for 5 years and were ready for some excitement and travel beyond the Southwestern U.S.

I have always been a wanderer. I love to get to know a place and people and then move on and start over. I always feel that there is another place out there calling to me. I don't know why but I think maybe it is in my blood. I read a book once called Migrations by Rebecca Solnit. She talks about a lot of interesting things in that book that have to do with identity and place. But one of the things that stuck with me is the idea that some people are meant to be wanderers.

Anyway, it never occurred to me to say no to the London opportunity. It never occurred to me that things might not work out and we might hate it. I just thought that of course it would be a good thing. And it was. It was hard at times but so rich and wonderful and soul expanding for us and for our girls. We lived there for a year and the memories, friendships, and accents have never left our psyches.

Since then we have lived in Australia, we visited Italy, parts of the U.K., Ireland, Japan and France. We hope to go back to all these places and maybe live abroad again. I would love to spend some months or years in Japan doing textile arts with natural dyes.

If an opportunity came up, I would embrace it but I think now it might be a little more difficult. As I get older I do worry about expenses, health, career paths, education... I do not say no to a challenge but I am not so quick to jump. I think I am just not so quick anymore. But that's o.k. and all the more reason to keep my travel muscles flexed!