On the move again
We’re changing everything - again. So, I guess this means nothing is actually changing for us because change is our constant.
“The only constant in life is change” after Heraclitus and many more
Enough fortune-cookie philosophy. What is actually happening?
We are in the process of selling our place in Portugal, which we bought about 5 years ago.
We thought we would stay longer. We thought we could lead a hybrid life, both stationary and on the move. We thought if the place provided enough opportunities, we would not get restless.
And maybe, if we had not lived in New Zealand for more than a decade, if we had not built a fully remote-first company in the past, making us location independent, if we had not lived in a truck for several summers or lived on a sailboat full-time for several years, we would probably still be in Portugal. But all these things have happened, and even this magical property in the Algarve, combined with a great community down at the coast, could not keep us rooted.
I’m feeling relieved and content right now - sitting here in the Italian autumn sun, taking the time to write things down finally; to get on with things. Not that I have more time suddenly to write - every day is more or less 24 hours :). But I’m a person who is dependent on the right surroundings to create. Some people can work and create anywhere. They can ignore their surroundings and focus on whatever is in front of them. And of course I can make plans, write to-do lists and try to prioritise one thing over another in the attempt to focus myself. But if the surroundings distract, those lists soon become a worthless piece of paper at best and an ever-growing burden at worst.
It feels like the surroundings create an urgent distraction that needs to be dealt with before “the actual thing” can happen. And that’s okay for a little while. Because setting up the right surroundings is part of the process.
But I treated the renovation work I did for the last few years as a set-up process for “the actual thing” rather than seeing it as part of an overall project. When I finished one renovation job, I told myself, only one more thing here or one more thing there to fix or clean, and I can finally start living here for real and get started with the project. But there was never a real overall project just yet, only some loose ideas.
When we first thought about a place in Portugal, we envisioned a small and quiet place, easy to lock up and leave for a few months a year. Then we stumbled upon Fonte do Palheiro hidden in the Algarvean mountains, and we couldn’t resist. This place is so inspiring, and has so much potential. We thought it was our next 10-year project.
But it turned out that it only needed us to start the process of bringing this place back to life.
We have made some wonderful memories, learned a lot of new skills, and found out a few things about ourselves along the way. Now it’s time for someone else to take over.
We have left the place behind now and are on the move again - currently in our van and soon in a sailboat once more. That’s what we really want - right now.
The next few months will still be a bit of organisational chaos. Finalising house sales, putting things on autopilot, downsizing again - something we seem to do every so often, a natural cycle in our lives.
Then, come European spring, the plan is to buy a boat.
Some of you may ask why we need to buy one. What happened to KFOS EP 1? Suffice it to say, we no longer own her. However, this is a longer story to tell - a bit dramatic, a bit sad, but with a happy ending. We will tell this one soon.
In the meantime, please make sure to stop once in a while and ask yourself: are you just keeping busy waiting for “the real thing” to start, or are you actually living “the real thing” ;-)
