The Joy of Living

We have decidedly settled down. Justin is bike training. He even joins the occasional group ride. Will is swim training for summer camp. I’m training for life :) and Hazel is crushing homeschool. She is all caught up!! Phew. Kids have dentist appointments on Monday. I noticed a dark spot on one of Hazel’s molars so … wish us luck … the poor kid has already had multiple root canals. Our taxes are filed. I’m still grateful for every warm shower with good water pressure after so long in Africa and India.

We’re right in town for a few weeks. Half block from Main Street!! Too close to Main Street to be honest but it’s the ultimate walkable life. It’s about 30 seconds to the yoga studio, and to the grocery store, and my favorite coffee shop. Also 30 seconds from a sauna / cold plunge / massage place which I’m going to experience tomorrow!! It’s about a 5 minute walk to the post office and 20 minute walk to my gym and the pool. There are multiple playgrounds within a 5 minute walking radius. The trails right out the front door are incredibly rad. They are inspiring me to run more and rent a mountain bike. My OG love. Scenes from an evening stroll:

Scenes from a morning run:

While we’re long past the feelings of unsettled settling, there have been other feelings of - something - it’s hard to put a pin on it. Personally I’ve been distracted and bothered by some thorny-but-not-insurmountable issues that live at the intersection of tax, finance and immigration. Seriously is there a more joyful trifecta one can imagine??? But it’s not just that. Justin said the other day that this chapter feels shallow and I know what he meant. Shallow sounds a bit harsh but it’s true that the chapters have ended that really challenged us. So I’ve decided to embrace this for what it is: we’re in Playland and I’m going to play!! I will also try to chill out which is not my greatest strength. Cue my latest Masterclass: A Guide to Mindfulness with Jon Kabat-Zinn. It gets squeezed in between so many things I’m binging on Netflix and Max :) which counts as playing, yes? I’m actually playing it in the background right now while I type which I think is the exact opposite of mindfulness ;) Still trying to read more too.

We celebrated my birthday lunch at an awesome super-chill cafe by the ocean with views of the swell. I got a good chuckle of some life wisdom I spotted at a local ink press store earlier the same day. Impermanence. Presence. Beauty. Gratitude. We’re lucky to be on this planet and I’m grateful for every lap around the sun.

One thing I’m noticing by living in town is I feel less rushed, so I notice way more. When I used to come to town there was always “a list”. The things to be done. So we would do, do do. Now, sometimes we just wander aimlessly in town. I’m never thinking about parking or getting back to the car. I’m just here. All of a sudden I noticed there is art everywhere. Everywhere. We have found alleys we never noticed before. Amazing that I just didn’t see any of it until now. I’m sure Jon Kabat-Zinn would have a lot to say about this.

Scenes below from everyday living. Justin said no more ice cream tubs in the freezer. He’s on the road to peak bike fitness. Too tempting. I get it. ‘Eat as much ice cream as you want in town’ he said. Hazel has taken the memo to heart!!