A revelation

We’re back from our adventure and even finished a Monday back at the office too. Both Don and I came home to two full workdays to start the week. We are getting back in the swing of things and starting to wind down from all the hub bub.

Don will write more about the trip and share some of the photos he took. We even have a map to scan so you can track our location and travels. Something to look forward to: we traipsed among the sheep and their poo.

As we spent time on holiday and I turned 35, I reflected just a bit. For those of you who know me, I’m not at all pensive (HAHA). But not only did we spend this holiday away for my birthday, but it was also our two month anniversary of moving to New Zealand on 9/6.

TWO MONTHS? I bet you all think it just happened yesterday, that it’s flown by! Well, I feel pretty much the opposite. I can’t believe it’s only two months, it seems like we’ve lived here for much longer. And I am so glad to have that feeling again. For years I had that feeling all the time, that life was moving slowly and sometimes I’d even wish away time for silly reasons. Come the age of 30, I changed my tune—why wish it would go faster if you’re only going through it once, eh? I started to relish time and was glad to be able to remember what I did for this holiday or where I went on that vacation or who I went out to dinner with last Saturday. My mind was full of pictures of my life, like a slide projector, and I remembered everything so clearly.

Several years ago, life got super, super busy. I was working very hard to build my wonderful non-profit organization and taking on a great deal of responsibility. I loved it, and I am very proud of it, but I was working very hard, maybe too hard for one person. How do these corporate hot shots do it? What an enourmous trade-off. Time started whizzing past me; I couldn’t remember what I’d done only months ago and I kept saying things like, It’s September already, when did fall get here? Where did spring go! It’s time for Champagne and Diamonds, again (a Sense of Security annual event), already??? And I started really disliking that feeling, that feeling of my life passing me by and I had no clue.

Last summer it all came to a head after our trip to New Zealand and Don and I decided to make a change. A big one. Our plans to move to New Zealand for retirement suddenly became a burning desire to relocate right now, right away--relocate and slow down. One year later, we were on foreign land renting a home, buying used furniture and cars, and reshaping our careers.

And then the first two months went by and I feel like it’s been the longest time. I am so glad to have that feeling back, that feeling that I am making the most of each minute and doing what I want in my life and taking a bit of control back. I can remember what I’ve done every week since I’ve been here and I love that! I am lucky enough to be involved with Sense of Security a bit and I am changing up my professional life here (even take time off through the summer). Now I go home at 5pm sharp (the two days per week I work) and never think: what’s my next big idea?? How can I top that one?? How can I be even more successful?? How can I make more money?? So much pressure!

I wouldn’t trade my first 15 years of working life at all, especially the work I did for breast cancer patients in Colorado, but I am glad to learn from it and take it into the next 15 years—the last 15 years I hope! I hope you don’t mind my sharing a bit with you, I guess with the fifth anniversary of 9/11 and my birthday and our big move, there’s a lot of time right now for reflection. Well, when in Rome . . . as they say here in Nelson, LIVE the day!