Nine months ago I was sitting in a cubicle in Columbus, Ohio, when I received an instant message from my husband. He was home sick for the third week in January and not flying. He happened to be engaged in one of his two hobbies – no, not watching Frasier – applying for any interesting pilot-related job he came across, whether or not he met the qualifications.
“I applied for a job in Singapore,” he wrote. I immediately turned around my chair and repeated the sentence to two of my colleagues, who already knew of my husband’s plot to get us out of America. We all laughed because my husband does things like this at the drop of a hat. He gets an idea in his head and he goes full force. Then, after a short period of time, he changes his mind and goes off in the opposite direction.
When Paul and I were dating, we spent an entire night driving to every dealership in two counties because he decided he wanted a Jeep Wrangler. It was the worst date ever and I was completely annoyed. I was to learn that I was not nearly as annoyed that night as I would be the next day when he suddenly decided he wanted a Liberty.
I admire my husband for having the guts to take opportunities like this one and own them without giving a lot of thought to the consequences. “What’s the worst that can happen?” he would ask, referring to his numerous applications anywhere between Canada and Southeast Asia. “They don’t want me. Big deal.”
My first reaction was that my husband was crazy. My second reaction was more practical.
“Can we talk about these things before you apply next time? You know…just in case you get the job?”
“Don’t worry. I won’t get it,” he replied.
Once Paul was offered the job, I felt complete peace about the move and I am thankful for that peace. I knew that we would not be offered the position if we were not meant to go. I did not worry about moving to another country; I did not worry about how to move or sell all of our belongings. My only worries were leaving my colleagues and somehow managing to tighten loose ends on all of my work projects. The latter I did not fulfill and I regret that to this day.
When we arrived, I was thankful to be in a new place. For a few minutes, and a few minutes only, I wondered what we had done. After that, life became about finding my way in a new environment. I am thankful every day that I am here, making new friends, eating new food and exploring this great island.
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