As our adventure comes to an end I find myself trying to summarize the lessons I have learned and somehow find a way to bring the changes and growth forward into my everyday life.
I have learned that everyone needs a certain amount of daily silence in their life with no distractions once so ever and I find that we do everything we can to fill every waking moment with errands, motion, chatter, computers, cell phones, blackberries, television, radio whatever back ground noise we can as if we are afraid to listen to our own voice which tends to only visit in silence. I will try my best to find those few minutes every day to listen to my heart.
I know now that one must lose themselves completely to find themselves (which I have done several times on this journey ).
I know after living with very little space and material things that somehow I long for more simplicity in my life and less stuff….
I have learned with my spouse that communication becomes communion and that has taken our relationship to a whole new level.
I want to be at peace with myself and the things I cannot control.
My travels have brought me into contact with people that I may normally not have socialized with because of our differences. I will try to connect with new people and be open to what message they may have to offer.
I believe there are no such things as coincidences and that the people I have met and the lessons I have learned have been sent to me directly.
I definitely have a new found connection to nature and the outdoors; although I think this was always there, but to spend most of our time outside everyday for the last 6 months in all different kinds of weather has really made me appreciate the beauty of our planet that I sometimes take for granted. I read this great story about a 75 year old lady that still body surfs everyday in San Francisco with no wetsuit..now that is crazy…she says the secret to being happy is to get close to the earth and I believe her. I will try to maintain this attachment I have made with nature. I will try to spend a bit of time outdoors every day…even if it is to just gaze at the stars in the evening on our deck and let them fill me .
I will try to lose myself in my every day chores the way I have during this time off. I hope to find myself whistling and singing as I go about my chores and not see them as just another task I have to complete. Also I hope to let go of the nagging sense that stuff must be done right now when I really want to spend that time doing something fun with Bill or a friend.
I noticed during our time off that when people are on vacation they are always smiling and friendly to strangers and greet you with a warm hello… why can’t we maintain this attitude and openness in everyday life.....we can if we try right?
I want to show gratitude daily by speaking it. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well (Voltaire)
Stop multitasking ---as it is a sign of not being present to the moment.
I want to be a friend that knows how to listen completely.
I want to take my challenges and use them as an opportunity to learn and grow...you gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. Do the thing you think you can not do (Eleanor Roosevelt)..I do this every time I get in the water...hehe..
I think back to one night in Hatteras when I was talking with Lucky Luc (our friend from Montreal who has been on the road for 3 years now in his small motor home) and asked him if he really believed Bill and I would have done this trip had we not been surrounded by adventurous friends and he placed his hands on his heart and answered me in his thick French accent “yes…it was always in here…this adventure….it is just the beginning for you my friend…”
=LIFE BALANCE
I AM HOME AND ANXIOUS TO SEE ALL MY FRIENDS!!!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
June 3, 2010
We started our journey home today.
I did one last run with Janice and we talked about our adventures together and how much we are going to miss each other. It is never easy to say good-bye to the EVAN’S…but away we go………
We decided to drive through Lake George, Keane (you are right Jon..very cool place) and Lake Placid. We decided to spend the night in Lake Placid and walk around the little village. It was very beautiful and definitely makes our list
June 4, 2010
We arrived in Picton at Auntie G’s around noon. Rod, Ali and the twins were there to meet us.. Rory and Taryn. It was so great to finally meet the twins!! Jane brought over Nolan, Keenan and the new baby Ethan which was so nice!! We had a great dinner together and bonfire. It felt really good to be with family, but it also made me even more anxious to see my parents….
June 5, 2010
We got up and had coffee with everyone and headed out. We stopped in Stirling to visit with Dean and the kids ….. Just long enough for Nolan to show Bill his moves on the Wii..
We headed to Toronto to see Bill’s dad who is the Toronto General Hospital. We had a nice surprise as Andrea and the boys were at Kevin’s. Adam has become a real teenager with a very deep voice….and Alex is sporting a new cool hair cut. We had a nice evening together and dinner downtown Toronto. It was great to all be together and to see that Bill’s dad is on the mend.
June 6, 2010(later in the day)
We made it home………………yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was late afternoon when we pulled in and we were greeted by Sonya and her mom Patti who held up a banner saying “welcome home Bill & Deb” and all the kids on the Street had signed it…..How sweet is that!!! We hung out on the Street for a couple hours getting caught up with all the kids…looking at x-rays from broken elbows, reading report cards, hearing about hockey and track meets. It felt good to be home.
I finally got my moms cell phone to ring in Temagami and she was quite surprised we were already home. She had been trying to call us, but our cell phone stopped working when we crossed the border into Canada. She told me she would be home in the morning and that we could have lunch together….but being an only child I said to Bill…..”they will be home within the next hour and a half” and sure enough the phone rang and they were home. We ran over there and it was so GREAT to see them!!! I think Bill and I chatted non-stop for 2 hours…kept them up passed their bedtime that is for sure…
We started our journey home today.
I did one last run with Janice and we talked about our adventures together and how much we are going to miss each other. It is never easy to say good-bye to the EVAN’S…but away we go………
We decided to drive through Lake George, Keane (you are right Jon..very cool place) and Lake Placid. We decided to spend the night in Lake Placid and walk around the little village. It was very beautiful and definitely makes our list
June 4, 2010
We arrived in Picton at Auntie G’s around noon. Rod, Ali and the twins were there to meet us.. Rory and Taryn. It was so great to finally meet the twins!! Jane brought over Nolan, Keenan and the new baby Ethan which was so nice!! We had a great dinner together and bonfire. It felt really good to be with family, but it also made me even more anxious to see my parents….
June 5, 2010
We got up and had coffee with everyone and headed out. We stopped in Stirling to visit with Dean and the kids ….. Just long enough for Nolan to show Bill his moves on the Wii..
We headed to Toronto to see Bill’s dad who is the Toronto General Hospital. We had a nice surprise as Andrea and the boys were at Kevin’s. Adam has become a real teenager with a very deep voice….and Alex is sporting a new cool hair cut. We had a nice evening together and dinner downtown Toronto. It was great to all be together and to see that Bill’s dad is on the mend.
June 6, 2010(later in the day)
We made it home………………yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was late afternoon when we pulled in and we were greeted by Sonya and her mom Patti who held up a banner saying “welcome home Bill & Deb” and all the kids on the Street had signed it…..How sweet is that!!! We hung out on the Street for a couple hours getting caught up with all the kids…looking at x-rays from broken elbows, reading report cards, hearing about hockey and track meets. It felt good to be home.
I finally got my moms cell phone to ring in Temagami and she was quite surprised we were already home. She had been trying to call us, but our cell phone stopped working when we crossed the border into Canada. She told me she would be home in the morning and that we could have lunch together….but being an only child I said to Bill…..”they will be home within the next hour and a half” and sure enough the phone rang and they were home. We ran over there and it was so GREAT to see them!!! I think Bill and I chatted non-stop for 2 hours…kept them up passed their bedtime that is for sure…
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Ok….I knew it was going to happen sooner or later….I am homesick..
It came without warning and hit me like a ton of bricks with this physical pain and pressure in my chest that just won’t lift. I am very torn as I miss my family and friends terribly, but at the same time I am having so much fun with my friends here and I am surrounded by such beauty that part of me wants to stay. Janice said at dinner last night “I am so glad you are still here Deb it is like having a sister here!”
We have done so much together. We have enjoyed boat rides and beach time. We have visited with other friends and enjoyed meals together. We have walked together, ran together, had some shopping therapy together (I have my best shops with Janice and always feel completely giddy when we are done)…we have cleaned out closets (and I thought I had a lot of shoes…OMG) , we have watched girl movies, shared secrets and watched our guys with amazement as they buzz about and bring this energy into the house that sometimes is too much for us…
Bill and I just can’t imagine our lives without the Evans in it!!!
I have tried to keep myself busy this week with lots of walks and runs, but I am beginning to realize it is not something I can outrun. It is time to go home. …
Bill and I can’t believe the time is coming to an end, but we both agree that we are ready to make our way home and we will both be happy to return to our jobs. We are so lucky to be surrounded by family, friends, co-workers and bosses who understand our passion and wished us nothing but the best on this adventure.
We did not choose these friends that fill our life….life chose them for us….what a gift!!
It came without warning and hit me like a ton of bricks with this physical pain and pressure in my chest that just won’t lift. I am very torn as I miss my family and friends terribly, but at the same time I am having so much fun with my friends here and I am surrounded by such beauty that part of me wants to stay. Janice said at dinner last night “I am so glad you are still here Deb it is like having a sister here!”
We have done so much together. We have enjoyed boat rides and beach time. We have visited with other friends and enjoyed meals together. We have walked together, ran together, had some shopping therapy together (I have my best shops with Janice and always feel completely giddy when we are done)…we have cleaned out closets (and I thought I had a lot of shoes…OMG) , we have watched girl movies, shared secrets and watched our guys with amazement as they buzz about and bring this energy into the house that sometimes is too much for us…
Bill and I just can’t imagine our lives without the Evans in it!!!
I have tried to keep myself busy this week with lots of walks and runs, but I am beginning to realize it is not something I can outrun. It is time to go home. …
Bill and I can’t believe the time is coming to an end, but we both agree that we are ready to make our way home and we will both be happy to return to our jobs. We are so lucky to be surrounded by family, friends, co-workers and bosses who understand our passion and wished us nothing but the best on this adventure.
We did not choose these friends that fill our life….life chose them for us….what a gift!!
Monday, May 31, 2010
I have now read the book Gifts from the Sea for the 3rd time on this trip...
Not only was Anne Morrow Lindbergh the first woman in America to earn a first-class glider pilot’s license in 1930, and the first woman ever to win the National Geographic Society’s Hubbard Medal, in 1934, for her aviation and exploration adventures….she knew a thing or two about love….even if her book Gifts from the Sea was written over 50 years ago….I just can’t believe I can read this book over and over and always come away with a different message depending on where I am in my life at the time... .
***When the heart is flooded with love there is no room in it for fear, for doubt, for hesitation and it is this lack of fear that makes for the dance. When each partner loves so completely that he has forgotten to ask himself whether or not he is loved in return. When he only knows that he loves and is moving to its music….then and only then are 2 people able to dance perfectly in tune to the same rhythm. (Anne Morrow Lindbergh).
I remember one of the great Florida girl trips with my Auntie’s….sitting around discussing love and marriage …Auntie Ger told me you can fall in love over and over with the same person… I didn’t understand what she was trying to explain to me, but I totally get it now….
PS Hope that is not too much sharing Auntie B……I just can’t help it…
Not only was Anne Morrow Lindbergh the first woman in America to earn a first-class glider pilot’s license in 1930, and the first woman ever to win the National Geographic Society’s Hubbard Medal, in 1934, for her aviation and exploration adventures….she knew a thing or two about love….even if her book Gifts from the Sea was written over 50 years ago….I just can’t believe I can read this book over and over and always come away with a different message depending on where I am in my life at the time... .
***When the heart is flooded with love there is no room in it for fear, for doubt, for hesitation and it is this lack of fear that makes for the dance. When each partner loves so completely that he has forgotten to ask himself whether or not he is loved in return. When he only knows that he loves and is moving to its music….then and only then are 2 people able to dance perfectly in tune to the same rhythm. (Anne Morrow Lindbergh).
I remember one of the great Florida girl trips with my Auntie’s….sitting around discussing love and marriage …Auntie Ger told me you can fall in love over and over with the same person… I didn’t understand what she was trying to explain to me, but I totally get it now….
PS Hope that is not too much sharing Auntie B……I just can’t help it…
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)