Someone asked me in a question box how we stayed positive during the year it took us to conceive our daughter. First off, we didn’t. It’s really hard to not be pregnant when you’ve waited years to have a baby and you want one like…yesterday. Second of all, we bought a sailboat. We invested in adventure, in our relationship, and in our future. And this year, we’re able to sail as a family with our pup and almost one year old daughter!
How it all started though, was that we wanted to renovate our kitchen so that when we finally had a kid, we would have the house of our dreams. We met with contractors, architects, and kitchen designers to draw up plans for our dream home. As we do with all big purchases, before signing any paperwork we thought about what we could do with the same amount of money if we skipped the home renovations. And we realized we could buy a floating kitchen on the water, which is how the sailboat came into our life. A sailboat felt so much more authentic to who we are at our core – as adventurers – than a fancy new kitchen.
At every point in my life, there have been norms and expectations to adhere to (and the parenthood journey is rife with those). And then there are those moments when I’ve been able to look inside myself and do the thing that lets me live the wild life I dream of. Now I absolutely get that this level of flexibility and privilege is not available to everyone and am incredibly grateful that D and I have the opportunities we’ve had.
Maybe you’re not buying a sailboat instead of a kitchen. You’re buying a stand up paddle board on Facebook marketplace. Or you’re buying a set of oil paints and canvases or the bike you’ve had your eye on for ages. Or maybe you’re buying the sailboat AND the kitchen. How have you reminded yourself of who you are during times of struggle? And what advice would you give someone who’s in the thick of it right now?
This is us these days. 