Skip to main content

The emotion of transition.

I’m sat at the airport in Schiphol in Amsterdam. I just landed and decided to grab a bite to eat and a coffee before setting off on the journey to the YWAM base where I’ll spend the next week and a bit working on the Shine Seminar and going through the new staff orientation.

I’ve felt a bit emotional the past days. I think it’s really sinking in that I’m going to be moving here, and the whole reality of having to start over (again) and build mostly new relationship and friendships (again) kind of overwhelms me. Especially when I’m around family which I love and miss when I’m gone.

However, I am hoping being here these days will settle me a bit. I know this is all part of transition and so I keep pushing through.

Well, outside it was pouring down with rain just a minute ago and my flight was delayed because of wind. I guess this is Dutch winter weather. Out of the window I do see a “De Oliebollerte” which I think is kind of like a Dutch doughnut place. It’s red and looks very Christmassy. I think the large Christmas tree decorated in oversized snowflakes and blue helps with the Christmas feel.

Anyway, my coffee is done and I should get going. Not looking forward to from train to bus to carrying, but I know what to expect so I think it won’t be too bad. And it’ll be good to settle in, for a little while anyways.

Popular posts from this blog

Packing...again.

I just folded the last load of laundry and I’m almost packed. Off to the airport at 5am tomorrow morning, heading off to Amsterdam. I’m excited, a bit nervous, and wondering what it’ll be like. It’s been a good week at home with lots of quality time with family, especially the little nieces and nephew. I’m glad I’ll see them in April again. Well, not much to write and packing to be done and a bit of sleep would probably be a good idea too. Next time I write it’ll be from Amsterdam....
Read more

Single-tasking September: The art of single-tasking.

To change habits and ways of life, the motivation for change has to be strong, and the benefits outweigh the effort it takes to make the change.  For so long it’s seemed like the ability to multitask has been regarded as a great skill, but is it really a good thing? Recovering from burn-out, one of the effects I noticed was that it was harder to concentrate, and especially tricky trying to focus on many things at once. I’d try to multitask, only to realise that all tasks suffered from lack of capacity to complete any one of them. The challenge is that the habit of always doing many things at once goes deep, and when I tried to focus on just one thing, I found that it was actually really difficult.  As I did a little google search on the matter, I found it seems like multitasking isn’t as healthy as once thought, and that it doesn’t help productivity. Some even referred to it as “switch tasking”, in the sense that the brain isn’t doing many things at once, but shifting rapidly...
Read more

Small moments that mean a lot

Walking home on the crunchy snow that lights up a December evening,  I felt so thankful. The revelation that fellowship and being together is the best gift you can give someone, and realising that although it might seem small, it can turn into something big when a person feels seen and valued.  Yesterday I helped out with a crafts workshop for a group of lovely women volunteering for Crux where I worked before (well, in all honesty: they were making angels while I ate Christmas cookies, Quality Street chocolate, and chatted). I love walking alongside people in conversation, and realise sharing life for 2 hours can last so much longer in value and experience.  This evening we had our Christmas dinner for volunteers and people who are part of my current job. It was a delightful evening with many nations gathered around the same table…. eating the same food… and for a few hours creating a small fellowship moment that will become a good memory for the future. Often in my job ...
Read more