The longer the
wait, the more time I have to wonder if we're mad to leave behind a thriving
capital city in favour of a country whose economy has been in intensive care since
the crisis of 2010. Then there are our beloved friends who support us when
sober, then tell us not to go after a few drinks.
When I'm crushed between
rucksacks and sweaty armpits on the rush hour tube, I get a thrill that it won't
be for much longer. I close my eyes and dream of mountains and sea. I fantasize
about rollerblading along Palma's promenade...
Then I wonder if
I'll feel isolated in a city where I know no one. I think how I'll need to
learn to drive as soon as possible. I worry that in Spanish I'll mix my left
and right and drive off a cliff. It's not even the language; I mix them up in
English. Poor driving instructor, he had so much to live for.
I think about jobs I've applied for and feel my
stomach clenching as my comfort zone slip away into the distance.
In moments of
doubt, I turn to my trusty Eckhart Tolle book Stillness Speaks and open up on a random page. Today it reads:
"What will be left of all the fearing and
wanting associated with your problematic life situation that every day takes up
most of your attention? A dash - one or two inches long, between the date of
birth and date of death on your gravestone.
To
the egoic self, this is a depressing thought. To you, it is liberating."
 |
| From amazing-time.com |
Crikey. Not as
upbeat as I'd hoped. But I suppose it's putting all that worry into perspective.
I've already spent too much of my life fretting over things that might never happen,
or did happen and weren't worth the anxiety.
We don't have much say over what life throws
our way, but maybe we have a choice about how we deal with the present moment -
the only moment we've really got. Remind me of this philosophy when I haven't
found a job and I'm constructing elaborate sandcastles on the beach for spare change.
We're not in danger
of changing our minds about the move. Thanks to the wondrous eBay we sold our
sofa and our bed on the Easter Weekend!
To be honest, what
makes me even more anxious than the thought of moving, is the thought of not moving. Despite my fears, I'm hungry for adventure,
eager to escape routine, determined that I'll look back one day and think: my
life might well be summed up on my gravestone as 'a dash', but it was a bloody
brilliant dash...
I'm rambling, aren't
I? I'll stick the kettle on. Living in the moment is a great antidote to worry,
but so is a cup of tea.
I wonder if tea
will taste as good as Mallorca... Well, we can live in hope.
2 comments:
Good luck, Emily! I admire what you're doing and one day in the future it may be a consideration for us too.
I guess we can all look back and regret things we've done, but looking back and regretting things we haven't is terrifying. I feel your pain in regards to the driving by the way! What resort are you moving too, and what brought you to that decision? xxx
We are moving to the capital, Palma. I think we just felt like a change and maybe it'll be a good place to start a family, who knows? I'm craving sunshine and to be outside more. We both speak Spanish and Mallorca's economy seems a little healthier than the mainland. It's an adventure!
Post a Comment