As soon as folks touch down in London they immediately start looking for a way to extend. Extensions in a zero hardship post are rare, and no, you can't send one of you to Bagdad and "shelter in place" here-- to stay you have to rent your own place and pay your own way. As averse as State Department people usually are to spending their own money, London's charm is so potent and people are so desperate to stay they are willing to fork out for their own utility bills.
Out of our three year tour, we have one year remaining in this Mary Poppins town that feels like home as soon as you walk in your adorably narrow, brick-faced house where the magic utility-bill fairy covers your costs for three--but only three!--glorious years.
For Peter and me, our first year here was a roller coaster called "Breast Cancer-palooza": two surgeries, and lots of other fun procedures involving radioactivity--yes, I have a tech-savvy boob. If we'd landed in Tblisi or anywhere else, I would have been running my medical marathon by myself, or maybe I would have gone to Sacramento or Reno for some solo "medical me-time." Having cancer makes you a VIP member of the in-group no one wants to be in, but at least my membership is to the Princess Grace Breast Clinic cancer club, and I got to be with Peter and live at home.
The second year has been my year of living as part of the Public Diplomacy crew, and wow, what a Barbie-fun-house-Netflix-Diplomat-drama of a ride. After firing off USA-Jobs resumes like confetti and interviewing for ten positions at the embassy and not getting anything, I had sort of given up. Then when I finally did get a job, the creme-de-la-creme of positions (EPAP in PD if you speak State Department), I was actually scared to start work. Afraid I didn't know how to PD anymore--in spite of doing the job for the last almost ten years. After ending my job in Muscat, what even is diplomacy? Could I still adult? I'm so grateful for my bosses and the team here who have helped me get back into my "Sure, I can write a scheduling request" groove.
Navigating life overseas continues to be complicated--the heartache of losing my mom, to being so far from our kids, and dealing with a major winter onslaught on our Tahoe house from thousands of miles away. What helps? Visits from friends and family who get us out of the house and into experiencing things like watching the Rolling Stones rock Hyde Park and walking tours of Dickens' corners of the city. Members of the Visitors Happiness Squad even showed us that the dogs actually like to go for a walk to TWO parks TWICE every day.
Then there is the everyday magic spell that London does so well--hoping on the red double-decker buses, a jaunt to Sainsbury, exploring the city's narrowest garden store to find plants for our little garden.
Waking up to frost-kissed rooftops, spotting a crooked-tailed fox from a black cab, and knowing that I have another year of world-class cancer care, which includes working a couple days a week from home, these moments make me appreciate that we are still here. I am savoring every container of cream from Waitrose, every load of laundry I can dry (and then get rained on, and then dry...) on the line outside, every time I look up from my desk at work to see the afternoon sun lighting up Big Ben.
We had a front-row sofa seat to see the English women's soccer team lose the FIFA final yesterday. Like the coronation of King Charles, it would have been so FUN if they'd provided another winning world spectacle while we were here! However, my British colleague says winning is fun, but losing gives everyone more to chat about. Living here forever would be awesome, but the bittersweetness of having to leave forces me savor every moment.
And if we were to stay or to come back, would it be the same? Without the purpose of five POTUS visits within a year, events at Winfield house where I get to take a photo of my shoes with a princess's shoes, and Peter getting calls from former supreme court justices? I want THIS TIME to be here now forever, and I guess the only way to do that is to, as Warren Zevon said, enjoy every sandwich. Enjoy every walk that Scout sniffs crazily about the dog park hoping to find a toy, every quirky charity shop tea pot find, every time the delivery person rings the bell with an Amazon UK prime package.
We've lived a lot of places and it's true what Thomas Cromwell said in Wolf Hall, London thou art the flower of all cities.
What if someone told us we could live in London a year? We would embrace it with all four of our arms and all eight of our paws. We'd be ecstatic! Well, that is this year.