As my plane landed, I found myself getting nervous about meeting my clients and living in their house for three weeks. It felt so surreal, like I had stepped into a movie or someone else’s life in this moment and yet here I was about to step off the plane into Gatwick Airport and meet them in person for the first time.
Before that could happen, I had to make my way through customs, which was surprisingly easy. After a short walk, there they were! The moment I saw them, the last nine months played through my mind like a movie—everything we had done together, the uncertainty, the trust we had built, and all we had walked through along the way. And now the moment we had waited for had arrived: we were standing face to face, sharing hugs, laughter, and tears of joy.
After retrieving my luggage, we made our way to the car. I felt excitement building for the incredible adventure that awaited me and my gracious hosts. As I buckled in, I kept thinking how this was really happening. I was finally in England, a place I had only dreamt about visiting.
Driving away from the airport, I was in awe. It was November, the day before Thanksgiving in the U.S., and as I looked out the window on the drive to their home, all I could see was lush green everywhere. Back home, everything was already turning brown and drab as the days rolled into winter. The stark contrast made me feel like the faeries were always at work in this magical land far, far away.
As we drove, we talked about the things they still needed to do to complete their day. Upon arriving at their house, I met my client’s teenage daughter who was attending a home-schooling program, her mum as well as two dogs and a cat.
We took my luggage to my room on the second floor. It was beautiful and welcoming; my clients had made some upgrades to make it even more comfortable than I could have imagined. When I first arrived on the second floor, I noticed stairs led to a third floor, where the master suite was located.
To my delight, before leaving me to unpack they opened a door at the back of my bedroom and to my surprise I had my own private bathroom, which was larger than my bedroom! I had a shower and a free-standing tub unlike any I had ever seen before! It felt like living inside a storybook. When the house was designed, all the bedrooms had their own private bathrooms.
Their house was beautifully designed, and I was happy to have a beautiful space to relax in and unpack my suitcases. It had been a long day, and I just wanted a minute to sit and decompress after the long flight and car ride to their home.
The room had a very large closet with two doors that had built in compartments for everything. It was like one of those custom bedroom designer closets. I loved it, the space made it so easy for me to lay out the clothes I had bought with me.
I finished unpacking and went to the window. I was looking out into a beautifully manicured backyard with a gazebo. It was so sweet looking it made me want to paint it. As I was standing there, I started to realize how far away from home I was. I had left everything behind, the packing, the money worries, the uncertainty, and the destination I couldn’t see. It would all be there, waiting for me when I returned home.
That moment felt heavy, like a weight sitting on me. I sat on the bed and began thinking of how I was losing precious time packing while I was here having the trip of a lifetime with all costs covered, it felt in some ways, like I had won a lottery. But still there was this unresolved part of my life lingering overhead.
The feeling I was having was the despair I thought I left behind. I knew I had to shift myself or I’d ruin the next three weeks with thoughts about what I should be doing right now. I started to think deeply, was that really my truth? Did I need to go into despair and down the victim rabbit hole having nothing resolved? I know how this all works. We’re always exactly where we are meant to be in every moment.
Being here at this time under the pressure I was feeling surrounding the move had great purpose too, didn’t it? If I was my client asking for help in this situation that’s what I’d say, look for the gift in all of it even when you can’t see it.
Control had followed me all the way to England.
I needed to write, writing always helped me but I left my journal behind, so I pulled some drawing paper out of my book and started to write a gratitude list. That’s one thing I can always count on to help me shift.
The first thing I wrote was how this trip found me; I hadn’t looked for it. I wrote how I had needed to open to receiving. If I could receive an amazing gift such as this, couldn’t I also receive the perfect outcome to my move? Wouldn’t the breadcrumbs take me to the right place in that situation just as it had brought me here, to my dream trip with these generous and amazing people? Couldn’t the new living situation be a replica with someone to welcome me that was just as generous and amazing?
I could feel myself shifting, it was working! The heaviness was lifting. I was feeling better, happy and thankful for the goodness that had come my way. I was choosing England fully, every experience and put my thoughts about trying to solve my housing situation on hold. If I didn’t let go, I would miss this amazing adventure completely. I made the choice to let go and stop dwelling despair of my move and choose England and fun! I put my mock journal away and got myself together so I could go downstairs and join my hosts. I was in a place of deep gratitude and looking at all the good in each moment.
Later that evening, we went to collect their son from school, which would be like high school here in the states. He looked very scholarly in his proper school uniform with the school’s crest on the blazer. He was waiting for us at his day house, a place where students can study, socialize, get counsel, or rest between classes. I realized this is how the Harry Potter stories are depicted since the writer is British. The students report to different houses—it’s a real thing in England. Now all of it made sense to me! When I mentioned it to my hosts and their son, they didn’t think it was remarkable in any way, just another thing in their world while for me it was as if the magic of the books and movies had suddenly come to life.
When we arrived back at the house, we settled in to enjoy a bite to eat, a warming fire, and some good conversation. During our time together, we began discussing the places I wanted to experience while I was there. The ones in my mind were places like Stonehenge Glastonbury and London. They stated they would happily take me wherever I wanted to go but I really didn’t know where that was. Being in England felt a little like coming home in a way and that was enough for me.
Since the rain was not cooperating, we needed to wait a day or two before embarking on our journey. It was during those first few days that I got to know my hosts on a deeply personal level. Each morning, I would wake up to a lovely cup of coffee their mum made for all of us. Some mornings we had porridge, and others we had sourdough bread, jam, cheeses, and an assortment of goodies for breakfast.
It always made me feel happy inside. I felt like I could just stay in this world and live here in this beautiful land. I was drinking English tea in… England, I had to sit with that for a moment. It made me giggle. So silly perhaps but so important to me in a way I can’t explain. It felt like coming back to me and some moments felt sad when I thought why wasn’t I born in England? I’d have an accent.
I must admit it made me stop a few times to consider if there was something else going on here. Something much deeper at a soul level.
The next afternoon they asked if I wanted to take a ride to stable to watch their daughter ride her horse in the indoor arena. The pair were beautiful together! The barn was rustic and charming, having a very old English feel to it with horses in every stall. I would’ve been happy going there every day. It brought me back to a time in my life when I was around the same age riding at a local stable, but it was never as picturesque as this. The stable was nestled in a location that was a bit remote and required us to cross a narrow bridge before pulling onto the grounds to park.
The grounds were green and lush. It looked as though it would be a perfect setting for any movie where there were horses ridden across a field. I wondered if the riders or even the barn owner appreciated the beauty or if they were so accustomed to it, it went unnoticed. My hosts seemed to have an appreciation for the beauty as well as the horses which were all magnificent. I never imagined I’d be connecting with horses during my visit to England, yet here I was, surrounded by a stable full of them.
There I stood breathing in the familiar smells of horses that I’ve loved since I was a little girl. I’m thousands of miles from the life I left behind along with the move I put on hold, I was standing in a beautiful old English riding stable- something I had wanted to experience for as long as I could remember.
Here, right in this moment I felt my heart sing with joy.
It was magical, and I had found something familiar.
Horses.
Of course there were horses.