A few days ago I carved out some time to meet up with some other mom's from our elementary school over coffee. We rarely get a chance to talk beyond the daily pleasantries of "hi! how are you?" So I jumped at the chance to get better acquainted. In just an hour and a half the 7 of us shared stories of family history, pre-kid interests, previous careers, and hopes for our futures... I can't express how grateful I am that these fabulous women are not only fellow moms at my kids school but also willing to delve into conversations beyond the pleasantries.
I noticed in our conversations over coffee that one of the things we all had in common was our desire to get out of our daily routine in the suburbs and explore the world in a more adventurous way. Hey - I hear ya! I feel the same way! I've thinking about it for years too... watching 'International House Hunters' on TV.... desperately thinking of how we could afford to live an adventure in a foreign place.
Who wouldn't dream of this?
...flash back to two years ago.....
I had been increasingly aware of how my choices had made it next-to-impossible to have time with my husband and family where I felt well. Where I felt present and joyful and playful with my amazing children. Why was this? I bet the answer is different for eveyone but for me I think it could be due to having too much going on - a lot of responsibility and a family routine that takes a significant amount of time and effort. I wondered if families elsewhere do things differently? I longed to see if families in other cultures have figured out a way to enjoy moments together in a different way? I knew that for me I needed a major opportunity to *stop* and *pause* and make some big changes.
So... We did it
Nearly a year ago we sold our home. A beautiful but too-large suburban home in a pretty neighbourhood two shorts blocks from our kids school. Lovely in so many ways but it was truly eating up our time and resources. We needed a change.
...fast forward to today....
We are in the midst of a grand experiment:
Living in a rental home while we build a lovely much smaller house that will better suit our lifestyle
Working towards changing our habits to live more simply and enjoy our family time
And
Spending some of our home equity on a special family trip to Italy
Part of this grand experiment is taking time to write (blog) about this process... I suppose I am hoping that it will help me stay on track with my intentions and also give me an opportunity to reflect on our experiences. Someone once told me that putting thoughts into word is the only way to make the thought real. Or alternatively that putting the intention into words is the first step towards making it a reality. It makes sense to me!
Well here's to setting intentions, making dreams into reality and the grand experiment!
ciao for now.
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