Follow the Yellow Brick Road
I have just returned from a life changing trip. I spent three weeks in Portugal visiting my adventurous children who moved there during the last year.
Life-changing is a dramatic term to use when referring to a trip. Still basking in the glow of the Portuguese sunshine and the awe of discovering a new place, especially one inhabited by one’s expatriated children, anyone would be quick to turn to trite descriptors.
I still have much to process, since I have only been back for one week. Yet, despite it being early days, I sense a shift in my perspective extends beyond to warmth of happy memories.
In Lisbon, my husband and I shared a small studio, a garden apartment in the same building as my son’s flat. We had a bed and a couch, a small bistro table for two, a bathroom and a “kitchen”. I use “” because the space was the back wall of the flat, against which there was a small fridge, a two burner cooking surface, a cutting board and a sink. Above the counter, cupboards contained two plates, two cups, two bowls, and a few glasses. Our only cooking appliances consisted of a small frying pan (about four inches) and a pot in which to boil water. Off the kitchen, an empty room served as storage for our clothing.
We happily inhabited this space for three weeks.
Returning home, I now have a very different view of my house. There is so much stuff here! What do I do with it all? Cupboards packed with clothing, footwear, bags. Kitchen counters full of stuff. It feels so strange to wonder what to do with it all. Walking around the house, I see what a make-work project this is:
the windows need cleaning
the garden needs tending
stuff needs to be put away - where?
Two rooms with couches and chairs for two people
a storage area full of bins - what is in there? I don’t remember, so it can’t be that essential.
Stuff for every season: summer, winter, fall….
Tools to repair things, paint things
Maintaining a three story house takes time and energy. Maintaining a property takes time and energy.
Is this what I want to do with my time and energy?
I have just arrived, and I can feel the mantle settling on my shoulders.
Do I want it? Can I chose not to wear it?
I feel like I am a fork in the road. What life do I want to embrace? Is this just a natural reaction to a great vacation, or is it more than that?
I know that the mantle I wear is the mantle I chose. Do I want to hunker down under its weight, or change my wardrobe?
Three weeks is the amount of time it takes to form a new habit. I have been away three weeks.
While I was away, which part of my life did I miss?
I was keen to write, but I needed time to process my experience - hence the three weeks away from this page.
I was eager to return to my studio, play in my sketchbooks and plan work that would include new materials.
I looked forward to reconnecting with my friends, and my community. I have strong bonds here.
The truth is, the key to redefining the road ahead lies in my ability to tap into my creativity. The personal characteristics that support my creative nature also make me incredibly resilient. As a creative, I can juggle possibilities into new configurations, I can redefine the role of elements in a myriad different ways, and I can reinvent myself with curiosity and enthusiasm, so I can walk new paths with awe and wonder.
Tap into that, and I can discover the way forward.