I am sitting on the couch, one of the few pieces of furniture we have left in our condo, as we slowly sell everything before moving abroad. I’m sitting here with a throbbing toe because of an ingrown toe nail, and I’m coming off a two-day headache, but I have the doors open and the breeze comes through and tickles my feet… feels good.
I’m experiencing excitement, because we just sold one of our cars which was a huge step in our plan to selling at all. I’m drinking some wonderful coffee. I’m reading a book called Without Reservations – the travels of an independent woman, by Alice Steinbach about her story of travel abroad.
Loving the moment I’m having.
I make sure to take time to keep feeling the breeze tickle my feet and be mindful of the present moment. The bright blue skies dotted with white and gray clouds and the mountains in the distance. The excitement of the future is balanced with a peace of experiencing the present moment.
It’s easy to experience anxiety with the list of things I should do for moving abroad but I’m careful to keep that in check. Packing continues to come up. I look online for ideas of what to bring to Europe, but so much depends on where one goes and for how long. With my goal of packing minimally, it might be best to chase the warmer weather, but I want openness to anything. Adventure. How to pack for that? I feel my pulse quickening just the tiniest bit. It’s not the peace I was feeling a moment ago. I step outside myself to recognize it, acknowledge it, and let it pass right on through me. At that moment I focus on something that’s happening right here, right now, to get me present… which brings a slowing to the quickening. Oh, there’s that breeze again. Always there waiting for me to notice.
Take it one day at a time. One moment at a time. One breeze at a time.
I’ll pack later.
Balance. Mindfulness.