Once people hear where, the next question so often is, “Why?”
I try to answer, but sense that I never do a particularly great job of it.
There is an answer, obviously, but it’s a jumbled mix of signals from head, heart, and gut. A need adventure in one sense, a want for an anchoring in another; it’s a litany of little desires, or maybe it’s about big bold change. Any sincere response wades out of casual-conversation territory pretty fast.
But fundamentally it’s for the kids. Since kindergarten, Em has said that she wanted to go to school on the island. “Yes, wouldn’t that be nice, we’ll do that someday, the whole family”, we’d say, and next thing you know, the kid is suddenly a fifth-grader.
Some windows don’t stay open forever…
As for Tamsin, she’s the more change-averse. Prefers to maintain a well-defended comfort zone. Was happy enough talking about the potential move to here, just so long as it didn’t necessitate a move from where she was.
When we arrived a few weeks back, she refused to touch her bike. Too hard, she’d say, too many rocks, too scary. But Azure cajoled her, under protest each time, into some short but ever-increasing cycling forays.
And then: belief. Like with so many other things, Tamsin flipped polarity from her amplified self-doubt to a stubborn self-confidence. Meanwhile I’m back in Seattle, doing a quick 2 day turn at MSFT, settling into a notably empty house, and Azure texts me a pic.
It’s Tam. Who’s now apparently refused to even get into the car after a late dinner with friends, instead insistent on leading the way by bike, furiously pedaling home through woods and dirt and darkness.
Why did we move here?
Because this:
