Growing up in Kenya, what Americans call a car trunk, we call the boot.
That word alone carries me back. Long drives. Dusty roads. Laughter spilling out of open windows. And somehow, a simple word like boot reminds me how language holds memory.
Kenyans speak British English and that is my country of birth so…
Yesss, let’s do a proper UK vs US showdown! It will be fun…I promise.
Here are some classic ones—some practical, some delightfully confusing:
| Car & Travel | Everyday Life | Food & Drink (this one causes drama) | Clothes | Random but Fun |
| Truck (US) → Lorry (UK) | Apartment → Flat | French fries → Chips | Sweater → Jumper | Math → Maths |
| Parking lot → Car park | Elevator → Lift | Chips → Crisps | Sneakers → Trainers | Movie → Film |
| Highway / Freeway → Motorway | Sidewalk → Pavement | Cookie → Biscuit | Underwear → Pants | Cell phone → Mobile |
| Turn signal → Indicator | Vacation → Holiday | Takeout → Takeaway | In the UK, “pants” means underwear, not jeans. Proceed carefully. | Flashlight → Torch |
| License plate → Number plate | Store / Shop → Shop | Jelly → Jam (and US “jelly” ≈ UK “jam,” but UK “jelly” is Jell-O | ||
| Stick shift → Manual | Trash / Garbage → Rubbish | |||
| Restroom / Bathroom → Toilet / Loo |
I’ll admit—I went down a delightful rabbit hole today thinking about UK vs US words. Bonnet versus hood. Lift versus elevator. Biscuit versus cookie. You know how it goes. One minute you’re talking about a car, the next you’re debating crisps and chips like it actually matters.
And then… I caught myself. I completely digressed…
This isn’t actually what my story is about today
Please excuse the perimenopause mama brain—she loves a good detour. Ha!
What I really wanted to share is a story my mama used to tell us.
My mother was the kind of woman who gave rides to strangers—especially women who looked like they needed help. One day, she offered a lift (as we say back home) to a woman standing at a bus stop. The woman had many bags with her. When she got into the car, she opened the front passenger door and placed all the bags at her feet.
Mama watched this and gently told her, “You don’t have to sit with all that. The boot is empty.”
But the woman insisted. She wanted the bags right there with her. No space to stretch her legs. No room to wiggle her feet. Just cramped, uncomfortable, holding on.
Later, Mama told us she thought it was a reflection of the woman’s life.
And that story has stayed with me.
Because isn’t that what so many of us do?
We carry burdens, sorrows, disappointments, grief, fear—everywhere we go.
We sit with them.
Stand with them.
Sleep with them.
Embrace them.
Even when we don’t have to.
God keeps inviting us to hand it over. To surrender it. To place it somewhere safe. To trust that we don’t have to hold everything so tightly, so close, all the time.
And yet, like that woman in my mama’s car, we insist on keeping it at our feet.
Jesus’ words feel especially tender here:
“Come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
You don’t have to carry it all.
You really don’t.
Put it in the boot.
“Sometimes letting go is the bravest thing you’ll ever do.”
“Rest isn’t a reward for finishing—it’s a requirement for living.”
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” ~ Matthew 11:28-30 The Message
You don’t have to carry it all. Put it in the boot!
