Is It Time Shake Up Your Life?

It surprises me how amazed so many people seem to be about our travels this year.

Many are shocked by the notion that we’ve sold our house and are now officially “homeless.” They have trouble believing that we could get rid of almost all our “stuff” – everything we own is either in an 8’x8’x10’ storage locker or in the 3 suitcases and 2 carry on bags we are schlepping with us for this 16 month adventure.

This evening we met and chatted with a lovely young couple at a floating bar where the beautiful people hang out: the Mälarpaviljngen. The pair certainly fit the description: V is a gorgeous fashion journalism student from Romania; A is a handsome telecom employee from Brazil.

They seemed blown away by the notion that people the age of their parents could do such a thing. Both of them have been living an international lifestyle for a few years now and wonder how much longer it will be feasible to continue.

Certainly it helps to have a spouse who has a similar outlook on the world. We are also very lucky that we’ve had careers and incomes that provide enough flexibility.

But we’ve also made intentional choices to ensure we’d have that. For instance, I chose to be self employed, starting back in 1991 when we got married and DH (Darling Hubby) had his first sabbatical coming up. Rather than take another “career” position, I opted to become a freelance writer and go with him to the Netherlands for a year.

I stayed self-employed when we had children because I wanted to be able to be a bigger part of their life than would have been possible working the 60+ hour workweek outside of the home that a corporate job at my level would have demanded.

(I’ll admit that my hours were often that long as a self-employed person, but at least I could take “baby breaks” and, when the kids were a bit older, be there when they came home from school bursting with stories about their day.)

Over the years I would doubtless have earned more had I stayed on the career ladder, but would I have been happier? I don’t think so.

(This is not meant to diss those who have chosen the full-on career route, nor those who opt for full-time parenting. The world is a better place when we can all choose the approach that suits us best. And, again, I recognize that financially not everybody has this luxury.)

We also chose to have no car until our 40s, when we moved to Edmonton, and then only one car (a used one!) for most of our childrens’ lives. We didn’t have all the fancy toys and electronics their friends had. We didn’t renovate our home to put in granite countertops and soft-closing cabinet doors. Our sheets didn’t all match and the towels got frayed.

So, yes, we’ve been lucky, but we’ve also made intentional choices. Chosen experiences over things.

The young couple in the bar had a great discussion with us about “home” and what defines it. To us, home isn’t so much a physical space, but a mental place, where we are connected to those we love. That connection doesn’t mean that we always have to be living in the same house, nor even in the same city as our friends and family.

What defines “home” to you?

(Originally posted at https://temastravels.com/blog/is-it-time-shake-up-your-life)