At present, it’s the pregnancy that’s the biggest hurdle because if I’m not able to handle field work in the spring that’s basically a year’s work down the drain on my current project, which impacts funding and all kinds of other things.
Beyond the delivery, though, it’s just that my career, once I’m out of school, will require a lot of extended travel and long hours like MJJean indicated and my boyfriend travels with his work often at the moment as well, although usually just for a week or a few days at a time.
My Dearest Gullveig,
There really is a lot I would love to say at the moment, but I talk too much and write too much. Since, I only a few minutes home today… I’ll try to talk “short”.
I always tell everyone and my kids… no education is wasted. I promise you if something changes your current project plan… nothing is down the drain.
When my son was applying to sail around the world visiting county after country with a program called Semester at Sea (SAS). SAS wanted the students to check with their home university to see if the classes they were taking on board ship would transfer to their home school. I told my son, not to let that interfere with his decision to spend a Semester traveling the world. I told him, no education is wasted, even if course work didn’t transfer, the beauty of what he learned from visiting so many cultures is a gift.
He is currently living in the jungle of another country where he went for an unpaid internship as part of his course studies. In fact, he paid them a very large amount of money to do this program. Once the internship was over, he had not accomplished all he wanted to do, so I suggested he stay in the jungle longer. This is putting off his graduation a bit longer, but the value of his experience is beyond measure.
I truly believe if changes need to be made with your field work and current project - you will find Peace - you will see and learn things that you would not have learned had your project gone as planned from Day 1.
Apply that to **all **of life. It is the Unexpected Journey on our Expected Journey that brings us so much beauty. Embrace each path of your journey in life.
I can relate a bit to your plans as a parent who will travel a lot. My husband travels a lot and sometimes for long periods. Sometimes we travel with him on shorter adventures. What our kids learn along the way is a gift.
I laugh at all the traveling our children have been able to do. When my husband and I were pregnant with our first child, we traveled and traveled every chance we had because “I knew once we had our little baby, I would never be able to travel again.” Well, I was wrong, life with children chances - but for the better.
My son recently was able to spend time with one of his few living heroes, Dr. Jane Goodall. There was a mother and child at this event. The child was around 11 and had fallen asleep late in the evening. His mother said to my son, “I hope he remembers this.” My son reply, “Oh, yes, he will. My parents took us to events like this from the time we were very young and I remember all of those.”
Our goal was to give our kids the world for their classroom. Our adult kids, who are probably near your age, continue that idea of the world “and beyond” to be their “classroom”. Our daughter who is now a wife and mother - continues that with her two little ones.
You and your dear boyfriend will be able to take each day - each adventure - each year - bit by bit. You do not have to plan all of the unexpected today. You will see life unfold in a beautiful pattern - unfolding as needed - unfolding and giving you the time to re-evaluate each new design and choose for that day the best for the three of you.
Think of the plans in archeology… when something truly wonderful and totally unexpected is uncovered - the plans for the excavation changes - and for the better of the new found treasure.
I expect, too, that the community of those in archeology is a tight knit “family”. I would expect that if you took your little prince or princess on an adventure with you - you would be able to secure assistance before arriving. Others will be able to recommend someone they know who you can hire to care for your little one or even someone in the local Archeological Society may volunteer to assist you and your dear child.
May you find Peace within yourself.
