T-2 days before I bid goodbye to these little girls and my husband, before embarking on my solo growth trip.
4 years ago, when our marriage was in a hard place especially after my long 7-week UN/WHO deployment to Africa in the COVID crisis, Cliff and I decided to gift each of us a solo trip each year for our personal or professional growth.
If I got to go to crazy places around the world for work, why shouldn’t he too?
Since then, it’s been a crazy ride. Finances, solo-caregiving, the emotional toil… are all barriers… but at the end, it always did us so much good as a couple, to know neither of us were constrained by, but supported and freed by the institution of marriage.
Cliff went to Europe earlier this year to visit his childhood best friend. This time, I’m heading to Oxford for a trauma recovery conference to input into my next book and podcast series.
And to finally see my therapist, and one my closest British friends whom I met accidentally in Tanzania two years ago, in person.
This was impossible when the kids were so little. But once they got a bit older, we decided to commit to this. We’re not sure if it’s possible every year, but we ll try to do our best.
Another thing we always try our best to do, no matter what country we are in, is to go on weekly dates. To all our friends in Singapore, Perth, and around the world (you know who you are!), thank you for helping us uphold this commitment in our marriage. It truly takes a global village!
