#XrisLogbook 182 - Britain, Bricks, Becoming 🇬🇧
👍🏻 I received the confirmation that my British citizenship has been officially approved, and, because life clearly has a sense of humour, my citizenship ceremony will take place on the 14th of July… Bastille Day! I’m not entirely sure whether the British are welcoming me or the French are trying to reclaim me! After sixteen years in the UK, it feels like life is reminding me that gratitude doesn’t recognise borders. Britain gave us opportunities, lifelong friendships, our daughter Lucy, and countless lessons that will travel with us far beyond its shores. As we prepare to leave, this feels like the most unexpected farewell gift the UK could have given us. Sometimes the most meaningful milestones arrive just as one chapter closes, quietly reminding us that gratitude is the best way to leave a place before embracing the next one. 🇫🇷🇬🇧
👎🏻 Leaving a house is never really about leaving bricks and walls. It is about closing a chapter. Walking through empty rooms, I kept seeing memories instead of furniture. This is the home where our daughter spent most of her childhood, where she took her first steps to school, celebrated birthdays, welcomed friends after school, and slowly became the young girl she is today. We are excited about what lies ahead, but saying goodbye to the place that quietly held so many family moments has been far more difficult than I expected. 💙
✍🏻 One thing I am learning is that moving country forces you to clarify what actually matters. When everything is up for redesign, you cannot avoid the deeper questions for very long. Where do we want our daughter to grow up? What rhythm do we want as a family? What environment helps us think better, work better, live better? Which relationships do we want to nurture? Which habits do we want to leave behind? Relocation may look like a change of address from the outside. From the inside, it feels more like editing your life with a very strict word count. You keep what matters. You cut what no longer fits. And hopefully, you make space for a better next chapter. 🧭
🙏🏻 Special thanks this week to Paul , Candice , Lilian , Olivier , Stephane , romain
📚 Each week is a step in a journey I’ve captured for good 👉🏼 https://amzn.eu/d/0g6DUwwG
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