This might sound kind of nuts after my last blog. But just go with it!! When I get excited about something I jump head first.... Let's do it! I don't really mean that we're going to move to Nashville... Let me explain!!!
Have you ever taken a trip and you get out of your town or your state? And the air is just different and you feel like... whoa I can breathe!!! And you start to think could I live up here? Could I really do this? Could I move further away from my family and friends but possibly gain some peace. Perhaps the slower lifestyle is what I crave....And when you start to think like this, you're forced to look at your actual situation and what you really need in life ? You start to look at potentially downsizing so you can make it work. Or what do we really need in life to be happy? I mean these are age old questions and I'm not breaking any new ground here but sometimes I wonder why we live where we live!!!!
So why do I live in the great state of New Jersey? Reason number 1 - family, our family is close by. And in all honesty, even though we are all close in proximity, we haven't really seen each other. Between sports and activities and COVID and colds and holidays and vacations, it's hard to always be together. Not that we always want to be together but it's just hard to make time. So is family really a factor for me? I have to think about that.
And then there are the friends, and if I'm being honest with myself and with all of you, I don't have any true friends nearby. My best friend moved to Florida years ago and my drinking kept me isolated. So I'm not really leaving too much behind in the friend boat. Of course, we have friends but no one we see on a regular basis.
And now to the jobs... with COVID we have waaaaay more flexibility to work remotely. So that opens up a whole new door to where you can live. I want to be around culture and I want to be near a city and I want to be somewhere where my kids can be kids. I know this all sounds perfect on paper. But if you look at the reality of my current situation NJ taxes are sky high. There's just traffic EVERYWHERE. It seems like I'm just fighting with everyone and everyone is mad all the time. It's just the stress of life.
Now it's not about moving to Nashville. It's about the quality of life that we can have wherever we are. I don't know anything about Nashville, but I like the idea of it. I like the idea of a clean slate. I don't feel like I'm running away, I tried really hard to make it work here for a long time and the more I am aware of my surroundings, the more I'm questioning my decisions and how I want to actually raise my family!
Growth and change are hard, but it's necessary in life to push yourself out of the comfort zone.
So can we really do this, can we dare to dream about finding a lifestyle that would be more affordable? AND have better weather, AND have less stress?!?!?!? I know there's no Utopia and there will be trade-offs if we even decide to do something, but I'm willing to have the honest talks and be brave and consider a fresh start. Maybe I'm a square peg and I've been trying to fit myself into a round hole for a really long time. Maybe there's beauty in change, maybe it's okay to want to fresh start. Maybe it's okay to try and even if it doesn't work ... you can look back one day and tell your kids that Mom and Dad tried to give you a better life and we wanted to be courageous in our decisions. Even if it doesn't work, at least I can say I tried. At least I can say I was brave. At least I can say I did something about my situation. And even if we don't move to Nashville or anywhere, it's just time for a clean slate...
XOXO,
Gigg
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