My family likes to talk about one thing more than the weather. Parking. Where to park. How hard it will be to park. If a parking station is ticketed. In my first week of coastal life I’ve noticed that you can park anywhere here. Like out the front of the doors of Coles on Christmas Eve. For a parking anxiety fanatic who comes from a long line of parking fanatics, this is great excitement.
Our coastal move seemed to happen fast, but I suppose it’s been bubbling away on the for a while. The obvious reason: housing affordability in Sydney. Who the f##k can afford a house these days? I have no idea. One thing Dad said to me is “never get yourself in a situation when you can’t survive on one income” and that stuck. The financial reason was a no brainer. But the other reason was balance.
I asked for balance in 2020 after a whirlwind and a pretty shit end to 2019. Stressful project. Loads of travel. Lost a dear friend suddenly. Drank and ate my way through the year, and ballooned by almost 7kg. Knew this and partied all summer long anyway. By the beginning of 2020, my health was in a pretty bad situation. None of my clothes fit. My endometriosis had flared up and my only option was more invasive surgery. So I declared that in 2020, my word would be “balance” and my daily choices would be made with this word in mind.
Covid, for me, was a blessing in disguise. That feels like a dirty thing to say out loud as I know many struggled this year. I found out what balance meant in action. I had no more 2.5 hours commuting each day. No more work travel. No more planning the next ‘holiday’ or ‘reward’ for smashing myself for six months at a time, to only smash myself on a holiday, party and drink and come back more exhausted.
Here’s the thing that happened in 2020. I finally had time to create a daily life that I didn’t need a holiday from. It sounds cliche but its true. I gave up alcohol. I started waking up earlier again like I used to when I was younger. I started walking each morning. I saw a naturopath and got on top of my endometriosis. There was no more racing, hustling, travelling, fatiguing, over committing. I realised all I needed was a beach and a morning walk to set the day straight. Our two bedroom apartment suddenly felt very cramped. I craved space and land to plant our feet on for the first time ever.
Coupled with the above, and an itchy feet to do “something” after ten years in Sydney, (it can be hard to decide what’s next for a middle aged couple with no kids?) here we are 10 days in a small town between Gosford and Newcastle. It’s a giddy kind of excitement so far and an unknown of what’s going to happen. It’s been a while between blogs but the words found me again today – looking for a way to start share this journey with you all.
Merry belated Christmas to you and your lot.
