Photo caption: Hilary Burgin (leaning against the middle post in mauve shorts) stands with a group of people at a wood framing workshop put on by Yestermorrow in Vermont.

QVS Executive Director Hilary Burgin shares with us about her sabbatical.

As you know, I had the incredible gift of taking the summer away from work. I hosted friends and family for weekend trips to my house, gardened, watched hours (and hours) of videos on home repairs and renovation, learned how to and then fixed drywall, canoed 59 miles of the Allagash River with my mom, took a timber framing class at Yestermorrow, swam in Ashfield Lake (a four minute walk from my house), and so much more. 

I made a mistake before I started the sabbatical, though. I made two goals – which ended up feeling like they were directly opposed. Goal #1: rest, do nothing, make no plans, have no responsibilities, wake up each morning with the question “where am I led today?”, be a free spirit. Goal #2: become disciplined, make a routine, have clarity on what will make me feel good at the end of the day, jog or hike everyday at the same time, enact a writing discipline, etc, etc. 

It’s hard to do nothing when you’re also thinking “I ought to read Important Books and Reflect.” And, it’s hard to try to become a totally different person – either turning into a no-plans always-chill free spirit or turning into a rigid, unbending person. Funny how the goals we set out with aren’t what we actually need. 

When I think back to the summer, the moments that stand out to me are when I was utterly present.

So, I did a little bit of everything. I made plans – gardening with my mom, picking up soil at the composting facility, attending mid-week worship, visiting friends out of town – and I left spaciousness with which to play. Some days I went to bed feeling like I’d wasted the day, and other days I felt full and content. 

When I think back to the summer, the moments that stand out to me are when I was utterly present. I babysat for my friend’s 9 month old, and I wasn’t thinking about the long list of chores or work tasks to do – I was ONLY thinking about this sweet child eating grass from the yard. During my canoe trip I noticed the beauty of our surroundings and tried to identify birds and plants, but I wasn’t mentally prioritizing my to-do list. 

I often think about what it’s like in someone else’s brain. I’ll never get to experience that (unless science is going in a different and, to me, disturbing direction…) but I DID get to experience my brain in a different way. I loved doing just one thing at a time. And, that’s something I get to bring into my everyday life.

In August, when friends asked me how I felt about returning to work, I had the privilege to share my passion for our work and my love for staff and supporters of QVS. Yes, I would love to be retired… but I’m not at that life stage. I’m honestly delighted to be in relationship with so many special, interesting, thoughtful, funny, and kind people. My work with QVS staff, the board, donors, Quakers around the country, Fellows, and Alumni feeds my soul. I’m blessed to spend my time in this way. Thank you for being part of the community that makes QVS possible.

More about Hilary (she/her)

Hilary (she/her) joined Quaker Voluntary Service in January 2015 as the Boston Coordinator. In that role, she supported three cohorts of Fellows through the QVS program. In November 2018, she stepped into the Executive Director role. Hilary sees QVS as an integral component of the Quaker movement the world needs now.

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