I was reminded this morning by a good mate that we are not part of a race. It is hard to stay conscious of this, when the last few days have been centred on franticly tying the ends of lose knots and seeing relatives and friends before the wheels leave the tarmac. However, as we sit here, about to embark on one of the most exciting years of our lives I can’t help but think how many people have said to me “you are so lucky, I wish I could do what you are doing”.
And it seems to me, why can’t they? Why are we all so determined to stay on the track and not leave our lanes? After all, it only took us 5 months to save the funds we needed to make this possible. There are endless parts of the world to explore and if the job wont keep your position, there are plenty more for you to make an impact in when you get back.
However, with expectation ahead, it dawned on me why – despite so many people saying this, perhaps there is good reason why people don’t drop everything to go do this.
Over the course of the last few months I have thought about loved ones I may never see again, colleagues who may move on at work before my return, parts of neighbourhoods which will change in my absence. Whilst they are all out of my control, whether I am here or not, there is a sense that you are missing out of the more mundane, trivial parts of your day to day.
There is no question that the anticipation of the trip have made me, if nothing else, recognise and appreciate the day to day, more mundane aspects of life. So, even before the throttle has been pushed – positives have started to foster.
Similarly, I have always been encouraged to follow the career ladder. Get a good degree. Get a good job. Work hard and impress – to move up a ladder. But, from the anticipation of going away I have come to realise that a career is so much more than you are led to believe when at school or university. It is not just a vehicle for making money. Rather, it can – if you allow it – become something that defines you, sets your routine and enables you to socialise. As a result of giving up the routine, the identity, the friends for a year, it has certainly left me feeling a little anxious and made me question what the purpose is? What am I going to do each day…for a whole year?
But having analysed my day to day as it is – from rising each day at the same time, rushing along the south circular to get in on time, to returning in the dark to a meal shared with a tired partner. It is hardly a routine worth celebrating. Just as my career being the sole thing which defines me, is not what I would like to be identified by.
Perhaps the apprehension and anxiety of leaving the comfortable existence of SW11 – just for one year – might be just what is needed. If nothing else – it might make me open my eyes a little more to the beauty on the south circular, or the incredible fortune I have to live in such a great city…It seems the benefits are already rolling in – let’s get after it!
Two Teachers Travelling 