"The unexamined life is not worth living." Socrates
My husband and I have taken the leap and moved to the country. Our dream house was finally close enough to completion that we moved in last weekend and the contractor will finish up in the next month.
I am so grateful, and also thoroughly exhausted with packing, moving and relocating a LOT of cats. Yes, we brought our outside cat colony and moved them into their own 10x12 home and everyone is doing great.
Before
I launch into the stories and lessons already being revealed since our move to the woods, I have to share my experience from the last walk in our former neighborhood, where many of my previous eight years of meditations were inspired.
On my final stroll, I was overcome with thankfulness about all the inspiration, stories and lessons found on this leg of my journey, both literally and figuratively. They came to me from memory, and as I passed the related landmarks that spoke to me. I’ll share them in no particular order and grab a few of the corresponding blog links, should you want to read the whole story.
Reflecting and reviewing the past is an important part of moving forward. Walk with me down memory lane to discover the lessons they hold for us today. Click where you feel guided to do so, trusting the lesson you need will appear.
• The owl we rescued from the field and the connections with neighbors over that.
• Reminders from our feuding neighbors to remember it's all small stuff and seek
peace.
• The tree who suffered a near fatal blow that's coming back in full glory.
• The varying blooming seasons in nature and us.
• The changes of season: spring's anticipation, summer fun, fall glory and winter's incubation.
• The feral colony we inherited that's mostly not feral to us anymore, except for LJ who's lovingly neurotic. We came to this house just weeks after losing my baby brother in 2016. Those cats were my furry angels that inspired
me to get out of pajamas. They lured me out into the backyard to breathe fresh air and feel sun on my face. To hear birdsong. I cast a red ribbon into the bushes to engage with them—cat-fishing. They gave me purpose when I felt I had lost my motivation to get on with the business of living. We have taken them all with us and built them their own house, because no one should be an orphan their whole lives. (pictures coming soon!)
• The many, many rescues from the jaws of these cats, and witnessing the circle of life.
• All nature's encouragement to have a little faith.
• The appreciation of being unique and different, as evidenced by some neighbors choosing Bermuda grass and others right next to them
choosing fescue.
• Recently seeing the red cardinal and how quickly that affected my physical, emotional and spiritual well-being, and being reminded that what we think has a powerful impact in our lives.
• The importance of community and
the feeling of belonging, even when you don’t know you’re needing that.
• Annually pulling the weeds off the big rosebush between me and my neighbor on their property, because I could, and because they're busy, young parents and we all need help.
• Seeing my trees get whacked off at the top because they were too close to the power lines and feeling sad about them looking so unbalanced. Naturally, they
recovered.
• Developing a relationship with the neighbor across the street after she became widowed, because we all need to be remembered outside of special days and tragedies.
• The magnolia blooms. Oh my sweet magnolia blooms, I will miss
those.
• Our bushes that were cut back way beyond anything we asked for. They should've died, but they came back anyway, because that's the spirit in us all. We were made for big comebacks!
• Walks in the snow with lines blurred between the sidewalk and street, and sledding down the hill with the kids on the street, because “the kid” still lives in all of us, no matter how old we are.
• The neighbor I kept wanting to call Rodney. I gave him the nickname little Richard so I could say the right one, because we all want to be called by name.
• The ability to walk and see “what's right” instead of focusing on “what's wrong.” What I see on my walk is an accurate mirror for how I'm feeling that day. If I'm spotting the negative, I can see the pattern quicker in nature, catch myself, and then turn around and make the adjustments needed to have a better day everywhere else.
• All the struggles faced under this roof: parental, marital, family, business. We all have troubles, because that's how life is. It's not a question of IF we will have troubles, but how we walk through the waiting.
• The incessant weeds at this house. Weeds tell the truth. They show us that there are always going to be an overgrowth of the things we don't want, and necessary pruning to make room for the things that we do.
• Clouds moving briskly as storms (even a tornado) rolled in and out, always bringing gifts.
• The chance moments of glancing out the window at just the right time to see God’s spectacular sunset painting to end the day.
• Going through the pandemic alone.
• Neighbors helping neighbors, lending a tool or an egg. Neighbors are life's helpers, to the extent we're willing to be open and known.
• The birds, the nests, and the babies!
• The three trees planted to replace two big ones they took down--one didn’t make it, but two are surviving.
How resiliency in nature inspires us.
• Cat fights and losses. The ones we couldn't help and those we
did.
• And many, many more....
We only planned to be at our last house for a couple of years while we found land and built our forever home. That turned into eight years, with much waiting and
our share of unexpected challenges. But troubles are so minor in the big picture. Now we're moved into our dream home with finances and family intact. That’s nothing short of a few miracles!
Thanks for the memories!
Partly because of you, my eyes are always peeled for more gifts. Now I'm excited to start a new chapter and share my lessons from the woods. Have a beautiful week!
