Confessions of a Volunteer, Part 3
What will you miss when you go home? What are you looking forward to when you get back home? These are the topics of discussion for volunteers about to leave the island.
I was beginning to think of things I’d miss already. The list got long in a hurry. But there is one thing I will happily say good riddance to: our shower. It is always sparkling clean (thanks to my housemate) that’s not the problem. The problem is our shower is tiny. And sometimes the water temperature changes without warning. But the worst part is stepping out and drying off in an icy cold room. I hate it with a passion. This is the only thing I will leave without a backward glance.
My list of things to savor and remember with great fondness goes on and on and on: people, food, worship, laughter, scenery, weather, walks, rocks, rhubarb, singing. I have newsletters to help jog my memory. But the things I will really miss can’t be photographed. Conversations with new friends and guests of the week. Hearing songs with great chords in the abbey church. Having ah-ha moments. Seeing the weather change daily, hourly even. Taking the first breathe of air out the front door of Duns each morning. Remembering to savor the views and marvel over the shades of green plants, white sheep, and turquoise water. Enjoying more vegetables than I ever thought possible….still a hard pass to all beetroot. So many many sweet moments, challenging insights, and silly good things.
Also when I first arrived I went to every service, 9AM and 9PM, every day. As my time continued I found reasons to not walk back over for the evening service or to skip the morning service in favor of a little extra sleep. In my last month on Iona I recommitted to going to service again. The sleep and the walk are not enough to satisfy my longing for the music, good words, insights and challenges I receive. I am glad I returned to the practice of twice daily worship. Services are so lovely and give me so much, even when I roll my eyes over the “practical notices”. It’s rather nice to have been here so long I’ve committed them to memory. But still they are a little mind numbing.
This is the tip of the iceberg. I am sure I’ll tell you more tales as life unfolds. I am positive Iona has left a mark that will show great designs in my life moving forward. After all I have all these new drawings, I have to put them somewhere other than just the newsletter. Stay tuned. (And yes that was a teaser. But you must be patient.)
Finally I am thinking about what I am going home to. The biggest hole in my life has been no Rod. Facetime is a poor substitute for a husband. I miss our silliness together, our easy way of being, and lots of hugs. It will be marvelous to return home to those things. I am also looking forward to no more daily pudding (dessert) temtatations! It’s hard to pass on a sweet you spent all morning either making or smelling baking! I am eager to have sushi. I am also thinking it will be nice to have days where the only person I talk to is Rod. It will be strange to be in traffic again. I haven’t really been in a car let alone driven on since April. No matter I am sure it will all come back to me in a chaotic rush and I’ll be a little stunned for a while.