Dreaming
Am I the only one who literally feels a pulling in my heart when I read stories like this?
Its so doable. I mean, sell the house, pull out some cash, and go for a year? Not hard. I don't think that I would want to go somewhere so isolated (this reminds me of The Light Between Oceans)…but…..>Italy.
Its my dream.
We had the last swim meet last night, a big ice cream social, 6 am yoga, crossfit (not my jam), and the kids last practice.
Dinner with friends tonight after a long day at the pool and Julia's first non family sleepover (yes, nervous wreck). I'm tired. Dreaming of a year in Italy.
oh yes, I get it. I feel the pull, to Hawaii for sure. Someplace where the connection to nature is in your face all the time...I thrive in summer, I used to be a total seasonal affective disorder sufferer; now it's basically managed with yoga and awareness. So part of me wants to be somewhere where it's summer-ish all the time, to be more productive and happier, less hibernatory (totally made that word up). Then sometimes I dream of the family relocating for a spell to the south of france, hell anywhere in france really. A classmate of O's did this - the whole family of 4(5?) spent a year in France. Another classmate spent a year in Australia.
ReplyDeleteI think husband and I would do fine and really thrive eventually (for me I know it would be hard but in a good way!), and I think P would adapt really well. But I would really worry about O...adaptability, rolling with changes - these are NOT his strong suits. And his perfectionist, internalizing nature probably means that throwing a huge change at him is not the way to go. So we'll try for more travel, shorter durations. But oh, the pull is strong!
Australia or NZ would work for me! And it so funny but I know exactly what you mean about the hibernatory impulse…..I go back and forth personally, wondering if the full time summer thing would be wonderful for me or bad for me….I don't know if I need the respite of darkness or if the beauty of year long light would be beautiful for me. As for the kids I think that mine are still all okay with it. Nate wrote back "Need another two years" ~ but then when I probed further he admitted that he hadn't even read the link……….exactly WHY I so long for this for our family! So often people hear that N works from him and they say "Oh, you are so lucky"………hmmmm, while yes its great in terms of sneaking family time at the pool or walking 9 holes it also means that work is also never removed from home. I crave a true removal of work, a total digging deep and settling into just "us" of family. I know that it would forever change who we are and how we relate not just to one another, but to the world in general.
ReplyDeleteBoth Yifan and I saw this and consequently, we are actively pursuing the chance to take a full summer off with both kids (when they are a little older) and go somewhere out of the country. Tour of Europe or Asia or Australia, maybe all 3. We haven't pinned it down, but it is on our list. We think it would be great to do as an experience for our kids (to see the world beyond our bubble) and an experience for our family (to step away from the "rat race" and enjoy each other). I am lucky to have a company that will hold my job for me, but we need to figure out the logistics for Yifan's.
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