Our family is neck-deep in the transition of monumental proportions. We have goals and dreams of life-changing and awe-inspiring travels. My husband, Jason, has always been a dreamer and schemer of not-so-average ideas (blueberry farms, off-the-grid domiciles in the mountains, etc.) that never seemed to gain traction for us. But then he started watching YouTube sailing channels, and I found myself watching with him - dreaming with him. After weeks of listening to Jason explain how we could make that YouTube sailing life, our life, we got serious with our conversations. About the same time, I was reading a book about making changes in my own life: "You Are A Badass" by Jen Sincero, and was feeling bold myself about making big decisions, so I told Jason, if we truly want to make this happen, then let's sit down and figure it out. Meaning, we write down all the necessary steps and challenges we would face by making this daydream a reality. Then, on November 15, 2019, Jason and I sat down in our local Denny's restaurant and wrote a list of variables for what it would take to buy a cruising catamaran.
We were ON FIRE for this dream. We watched the shows, read the blogs, books, and articles about living as a cruising family in crystal blue waters and white sandy beaches. We dreamt of the islands we would visit, the exotic places we would go to first. It was an exhilarating rush I hadn't felt in a long time.
Then COVID-19 hit, and we found ourselves marooned in our own home. Only Jason left the house. He went to work and did all the necessary errands to keep our household afloat. I stayed home with our boys (Ryan, 13; Barrett, 9; Cord, 7) and their online schooling. Soon it became apparent that this pandemic is doing us a favor and pushing us to keep dreaming. Our plans continued, we researched live-aboard sailing schools, and completed four certifications on a cruising catamaran in October 2020. We pulled our boys from the public school system and I became their teacher so we could have a year to work out the kinks of being a homeschool family.
The housing market was insane and supply could not keep up with demand. We met with realtors and put our house on the market in September 2020, six months earlier than our plan dictated. Jason told his boss of over 10 years that our family plans will pull him from the job as soon as our house sells. I started stripping our house of unnecessary furniture, decorations, clothes - anything that wouldn't fit on a boat began to walk out the door. We were motivated and hopeful. Any cause for gift-giving was a gift that would bode well on a boat. If we couldn't use it on a boat, we weren't buying it. But then, the proverbial brick wall came. We were in a holding pattern, impatiently waiting for a buyer to walk through our home and decide they would love this home that we built as their own. We waited... and waited. House showings came and went, and still no offer. We began doubting ourselves and what we thought seemed so right, began to feel like pipe dream that we couldn't reach. Six months came and went, still no movement on the house. With nothing moving on the house, nothing was moving for us either. Namely Jason - he was still reporting to work day after day, putting in the effort, but his heart was on the ocean's horizon. We met again with our realtor and discussed what needed to happen. We gave our house listing a fresh look, a new price, and scheduled more open houses. And we waited.
The hoping and waiting came to an end on June 12, 2021. Jason and I were cleaning up our driveway for another potential buyer that wanted to walk the property. Our realtor called with news - we had a full price offer on our home! I ended the call, and Jason wrapped me up in a celebratory hug. I sobbed. We wanted this, right? This is our plan, our goals are being met, a huge step forward in our dreams, but here I was crying, mourning a loss. It became very real, very fast. We'd been waiting for so long, it became a new normal, and momentum had ceased. Now the gas pedal had been pressed down to the floorboard, and we would no longer have a home effective July 26, 2021. As he held me in the middle of our gravel driveway, Jason said, "We need to remember this moment. For all that it is, we need to remember right now."
It's July 20, 2021, and we're in the thick of it. We have SIX DAYS to get everything out of this house. We bought a motorhome almost four months ago in anticipation of our house selling, and us becoming
mobile. This RV has been completely gutted, reframed, sealed, and gussied up by Jason and I. This will be our home for the near future. Jason's last day as Manager of Platt Electric Supply is July 30, 2021. After that, the world is our playground. We start on the road, exploring, discovering, and enjoying each other on the journey.
Soon, we will contact our boat broker, and see where he leads us, but right now, we're plowing
through all of our belongings. Our boys have depleted their toys, books, and clothes to a nominal amount that can fit in the RV. The walls are bare, and so are most of the cupboards. Furniture has been claimed by family and friends. The recliner that I rocked all three of my babies in, now has a new home. Our vision board that kept us on track and our goals posted for us to see and provide daily encouragement, now needs a new home. The cards, gifts, personal mementos that no one else holds any value in, but we have held close to our hearts, now needs a new home - or worse yet, it's in the trash bin. We built this house 10 years ago with the mentality of this being our forever home that we grow our babies in. A home that we would grow old in. But now it is time to say goodbye. Onward and upward, right?
So here is to new beginnings, investing in family, crazy adventures, and becoming a drifter.
Commenti