Someday (when exactly, who can say?) we'll be living in a different house, a different town, and a different state. I've known this for quite some time. And the more time passes, the more I'm already gone. The more I'm already there. This creates a quite a bit of dialectical tension for me, as I negotiate the balance between my disconnection with the here/present and my longing for the there/future. I've written about this earlier, in response to a DailyOm article, concluding the importance of remaining grounded and present to my current reality, remembering that I am where I am, it is what it is, and it will be what it will be. The best I can do is to keep (hopefully happily) plugging away at my efforts toward getting out of here while striving to remain connected to the people, places, and things that constitute what I now call home, here.
I've recently been given an assignment to consider ways that I might enrich my current life, countering, to some extent, my "already gone-ness." This made me remember the ways in which my life is already blessed: I have fantastic friends here and in other places; I have close relationships with many family members; I have a strong network of health-care providers (crucial for my mental health); my relationship with my husband grows stronger daily; I have the sweetest little Kitter in my life; we are making slow but steady progress on the home improvement campaign; I have Siddha Yoga, my beloved spiritual practice; I am taking a great construction class (as in building houses); and the list could continue, indefinitely.
Nevertheless, I have created this idealized dream of how life in Colorado will be and, of course, in that dream everything is, well, perfect. Unlike my present life. So, again, my task is to create, to the extent that I can, the life that I want while still here in Santa Barbara. Okay, so what does that look like? It might consist of: getting out of the house more often; visiting more of the must-see-before-I-leave places on my to do list; getting to more 12-Step meetings; walking more regularly; taking advantage of the amazing Adult Ed offerings here; and marketing my business more actively. Easier said than done. But, let's see if I can, at least, strive to bloom, even if my roots remain shallow.
1 comment:
Loved this post, Nancy! As a recent transplant to the Charlotte area (I'm a lifelong Upstate NYer), I can appreciate the transition you're going through.
I was intrigued by your desire to market your business more actively. What do you mean? Why haven't you put more energy into this previously? Do you have a vision for your business?
My readers at Marketing Made Simple would LOVE to hear your story. I work with a lot of small business owners who struggle with marketing. I just posted a blog asking, "What is Your Biggest Marketing Challenge?"
I'd love to hear your thoughts -- and I'm sure my readers would, too!
Keep the faith!
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