The Build Up
Karen:
After years of imagining our departure, it was time to pack up and move on board. So many things to accomplish!
Sir, do you have bags to check in?
Why yes we do!
The month leading up to leaving was HECTIC. Packing, taking stuff to store at our rented out cabin on Salt Spring Island. Giving notice at work. Saying goodbye over and over. Being confronted with all that we are leaving – our dear friends, family and coworkers. The safety net of our stable incomes. But also the relentless pace of 2 fulltime working parents, kids activities, school, family commitments, and our own projects that gave life the feeling of being on a wheel grinding away on its gears, of pushing a rock up a mountain and starting at the base every single day.
We decided to pack in boxes that fit the maximum dimensions the airline would allow, and ensure the weight of the boxes was below the maximum. Were we taking too much? Taking the right things? Should I bring my spice collection? We packed and unpacked those boxes 5 times. Thankfully Michael was coming back to our apartment for 6 weeks to finish up work, so we were able to just focus on what we wanted to bring, not also worry about leaving an empty apartment. It looked like we had been robbed when we flew out. Garbage bags half filled, vague piles labelled ‘storage’ ‘donation’ ‘bring’ for him to sort through when he gets back. Bits of life strewn everywhere. A single mattress and 1 pot left behind for him to cook in.
That was the last month, but the real preparation was getting aligned with what is really important to us. For me, I knew that having a showhome and resort vacations every year was not worth the blood sweat and tears of working. So why was I working?
Taking this step is about listening to that part of you that questions the shoulds that are laid out in life. The part that doesn't want to follow convention, that goes against the grain. It's about embracing the knowledge that I actually don’t need much to be happy; a natural setting, a bike, somewhere to walk & explore, a kitchen to create in and maybe some art supplies. And a bit of adventure to give some stories to tell. Michael and I are so aligned in this way – that is our secret to success. We live for the small things and want to enjoy every day. Plus Michael is an expert at making up games and bringing fun - especially to boring situations like waiting for a bus or a train (or a weather window!)
Our other shared strength is to grind it out. As Michael describes it ‘to eat the same ham and cheese sandwich every day’. From my point of view, its to put head down, focus on a goal, and make decisions that will achieve it. There is a bit of robotic behaviour here, but when channelled in the right direction, you see results. So all we needed to do was channel that towards our true goal, instead of towards work. Easy!
It's been a month and I can already feel different. A calming, contentment and relaxation of the schedule. It’s a bud at the moment. I want to capture the evolution of that bud unfolding and blossoming. Lets see how it goes
