Roots
So about that European adventure I mentioned in the previous post...
As some of you know I was planning on doing an exchange to England next year. Before even coming to university I planned on doing an exchange so when the time came for me to begin researching UK universities and fill out exchange forms, I did just that. But something felt super unsettling about the whole thing. I had planned on my desire to travel to still exist (which it does in a very strong form; I'm pretty sure I have a chronic case of wanderlust), but I hadn't planned on how hard it would be to consider leaving Ottawa for a whole year. Without realizing it, I have put down some deep and wonderful roots in this city over the last two years. I have an amazing group of friends who I deeply treasure, a beautiful city that I haven't nearly finished exploring, and a school that challenges me in so many ways. It's all pretty amazing. And then I realized I was being faced with two pretty awesome opportunities: to go to England as planned or to stay as unplanned. Usually I like my plans, especially when they involve travel. So imagine my surprise when I was tempted by the unplanned option to stay put. Neither of these choices were bad, both had their pros and cons, and both were equally appealing in their own way. At the end of a long 3 weeks of agonizing consideration, I decided that God has given me a great situation here. I want to stay and cultivate the roots I've put down here and grow it into something even bigger and better. I've been bouncing around so much the last three years that I've forgotten what it's like to be settled and how it can be such a good thing. I've been blessed by my time in Ottawa and even though I know I'll regret not going to England in some ways, I would have also regretted not being here. So no Europe adventures for now, but Canada suits just as well and who's to say something equally amazing can't happen here?
Much love,
Mick
As some of you know I was planning on doing an exchange to England next year. Before even coming to university I planned on doing an exchange so when the time came for me to begin researching UK universities and fill out exchange forms, I did just that. But something felt super unsettling about the whole thing. I had planned on my desire to travel to still exist (which it does in a very strong form; I'm pretty sure I have a chronic case of wanderlust), but I hadn't planned on how hard it would be to consider leaving Ottawa for a whole year. Without realizing it, I have put down some deep and wonderful roots in this city over the last two years. I have an amazing group of friends who I deeply treasure, a beautiful city that I haven't nearly finished exploring, and a school that challenges me in so many ways. It's all pretty amazing. And then I realized I was being faced with two pretty awesome opportunities: to go to England as planned or to stay as unplanned. Usually I like my plans, especially when they involve travel. So imagine my surprise when I was tempted by the unplanned option to stay put. Neither of these choices were bad, both had their pros and cons, and both were equally appealing in their own way. At the end of a long 3 weeks of agonizing consideration, I decided that God has given me a great situation here. I want to stay and cultivate the roots I've put down here and grow it into something even bigger and better. I've been bouncing around so much the last three years that I've forgotten what it's like to be settled and how it can be such a good thing. I've been blessed by my time in Ottawa and even though I know I'll regret not going to England in some ways, I would have also regretted not being here. So no Europe adventures for now, but Canada suits just as well and who's to say something equally amazing can't happen here?
Much love,
Mick
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