The thing about moving to an entirely different continent is that if you wanted to, you could completely redefine yourself. Start wearing glasses (even though you don’t need them) and no one would know the difference. Stop wearing makeup, because no one would know how much better you looked with it on or become a vegetarian. Now, I am not saying that I am going to do any of these things, I am just saying that if I wanted to, I could.
Lately, I have been giving a great deal of thought to the way that I use time. We lead a very busy life jam-packed with appointments, work, preschool, family, friends, theatre, sports….the list goes on. And while it often is filled with things we enjoy, the pleasure soon fades as it becomes an obligation instead of a privilege.
Life, somewhere along the line, got complicated. I was telling a friend that I can judge (in part), how complicated my life is by how many automatic withdrawals I have going from my bank account. Pre-authorized transactions: they are supposed to make life easier and yet are just one more thing to keep track of: Life insurance, Car payments, RSP’s, RESP, RDSP…. Remember when your bank account could sit at thirty two cents for a month and it wouldn’t matter. Then the moment you got your hands on a little cash you would head down to the local 7-11 and splurge on five cent candies and a slurpee.
Well, in order for us to go to Cambridge simplification is necessary and it will be most evident in our bank account. With nothing coming in we will be forced to sell our car, stop focusing on saving and we will leave our life insurance to pay for itself.
It would be an understatement to say that life is going to change drastically. Be simplified exponentially. Redefined intensely. And while part of me is looking forward to the change, I know it is going to be painful. The lack of busyness will, I am sure gnaw away at me until my restless soul comes to acceptance and finds peace in the stillness.
How often do we get a chance to start from scratch? Clear away the mess, take a step back, and re-evaluate our priorities and values.
More picnics, less junk food, more walks, less looking at the time, more play, less work, more books, less tv, more pictures, less paperwork, more thriving, less surviving.
“There are two ways to get enough. One is to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less.”
-G.K. Chesterton
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