I
recently stumbled upon this quote on someone’s blog (can’t remember whose, so
forgive me!) and it hit me like a ton of bricks.
“The summit is such a small piece of the
mountain. Most of the beauty and wonders are experienced during the climb.”
Last
I wrote, I was working hard to acclimate to my new surroundings and my new job
in NC. I was excited about new
adventures, new friends I would meet, and the new home I would eventually
retire to. Well, to make a long (or
maybe three months) story short, it just didn’t fit. We did have some fun adventures and we did
meet some new friends, but something just wasn’t there for us. Not sure I can or ever will be ever to fully
articulate it, but honestly, I don’t need to.
It wasn’t a bad experience; it was just that – an experience. I wouldn’t have changed a thing. Because that move from North to South is what
ultimately brought us back North to a place that feels like it was patiently
waiting for us to arrive.
…and
we have indeed arrived!
In
late May, we packed our stuff once again and headed home. We had some scary mechanical problems that
could have been disastrous (lost brakes & steering!) had Scott not taken
command of the truck when he did. Phew!
Since
our move back North, I have jumped into a new role at my new company, have
found a running club (about to join!), have found some lovely running routes,
have registered for a trail race and for Clarence Demar Marathon. And as of last week, we closed on our
new home!
What’s
so interesting to reflect on is how I didn’t feel like I had to work as hard
this time (refer back to beginning of post “I was working hard to acclimate”). The pieces
have and continue to fall more naturally into place. It hasn’t
been all rainbows and unicorns (wink to Bonnie on this reference if you’re
reading this!). It’s uncomfortable starting a new job and
meeting new colleagues and figuring out your dance with your new manager. It’s hard to
learn a new town again and have to use your navigator/phone to find your way
home.
What
isn’t hard is letting yourself be in the moment and not having to try so hard
and feeling like you belong to a community again. What isn’t hard is being closer to our
families and friends. What isn’t hard is
feeling relaxed enough to sit and write – for the first time in three
months.
So while there are many beautiful
summits to reach, I’m truly embracing and enjoying the climb from my new
perspective and from our new home.
