I became an Aunt today. About 4,000 km away, my little sister had a healthy and beautiful baby boy. His chubby cheeks and precious face stared at me through a glowing screen, and although I could only imagine how he would feel in my arms and the noises he might make, I swear I could almost smell his new baby scent through the phone.
Distance.
Distance can provide clarity and focus. A new perspective and an objectivity that you only gain when stepping back from the big picture.
I’m a grown-ass woman and yet I’ve felt myself grow more than I’ve expected these past two years, even these past few weeks have had their own growing pains. There are times I feel that life is just stuck in a cycle – wash, rinse, spin, repeat – but it’s what happens outside that spin cycle that has the biggest effect on our lives.
The real question is – do I actually see things more clearly now that I’ve stepped back? Or is it all just a façade of ignorance? Do I simply think that I can see things for what they truly are because I’ve had time to think on it…?
Our family is embarking on a journey this year. We welcome this change with open arms, ready to embrace a new lifestyle and simplify our lives. It’s been relatively easy to make small changes over time, which in the end equals a huge change, but I have to wonder if we can really do this as a family. Right now we have space, we have a large home full of it, and we want to downsize to measures that might seem extreme to some – but at this moment I am blinded by the fun and the adventure and the love that will come out of it.
Where will we be a year from now, and does the answer to that question even matter? Only time will tell.
But for now, I relish in the addition to our family, no matter how physically far they may be, they are ever so close to my heart.
Distance indeed clarifies. I’m 3,000 miles from where I grew up (LA).
Nice blog — hope to read more about your downsizing.