The Odyssey

It has been hard over the time that we have lived in England to articulate how we feel about the experience. Some people have the impression that we do not like it here. Some people have the impression that we have the perfect life with never ending vacations and fabulous job opportunities. What we have found is that it is not that simple. It is not black and white. It is true that on paper England has some pretty good things going for it. Both of us have excellent jobs which we have really enjoyed. At the same time there are things about life in England that drive us crazy and that are the source of many jokes. Our decision about how long to live here – to stay or to go cannot be made solely on factors such as this. The best way to describe how we’ve decided where we want to be is our search for balance and wholeness. We want to be in the place where we can have the most balance in our lives and where we feel whole.

In Canada, we have wonderful family and friends, but potentially crazy jobs typical of the Southern Ontario rat race, which can be draining and stressful. In England, we have wonderful jobs, but no family and only acquaintances, not old friends. In a perfect world we would transport our English jobs to Canada and life would be dreamy. But, in reality, this is not possible.

We feel that life in Canada gives us the greatest chance for feeling like we have lives full of that which is most important to us. Yes, we are giving up some promising opportunities, but life far from home does tend to make you examine your priorities differently and we feel this is still a wise choice. So, for all those who think we are down on England or too negative about our experience here, it is not that we dislike life in old Blighty, it is that we are seeking wholeness.

Beth’s metaphor for this comes from the computer game Sim City. The bar graph that tells you the growth of the residential, commercial and industrial sectors in your city need to be in balance for the city to survive. In England, the bar graph shows the industrial sector thriving, but the residential and commercial sectors barely above 0.

Brent’s metaphor for this search for balance comes from his grandparents’ old house. When he was a kid, his grandfather would shut off certain rooms in the house to save on heating costs in the winter. In England, we’ve sort of had to shut off the rooms where our families and old friends live for however long the winter of our trip to England lasts.

So our search for balance and wholeness finds us on the brink of another transition as we prepare to uproot our lives in England and return to Hamilton.

Tho’ much is taken, much abides; and tho’
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved heaven and earth, that which we are, we are;
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.