I am in the midst of a huge life transition. My husband was offered a job in Colorado on August 31st and he started work on September 21st. In the three weeks in between, we packed up the home in which we raised our babies to little people, sold that home, packed up an office, coordinated moving and last minute stuff with the house, and finally packed enough belongings for six weeks of living as well as our little people, two cats, and big black dog into two vans and drove three days from Exeter, CA to Golden, CO. Through all of this, people keep saying to me “You seem so calm”. I meditate now, maybe that’s why.
As we pulled into my brother’s driveway in Golden on the evening of the 19th, my nephew greeted me with some kind of a jumping jack dance in which I immediately joined, SO HAPPY to be out of the car!
My brother and sister-in-law graciously hosted us for the first five days (as well as the two cats and big black dog) and took care of the little people while Jay and I went off to look for a house. On Tuesday the 22nd I looked at two houses in the morning, took Jay back to look at one of them that evening, and on Wednesday the 23rd, we had a contract on that house less than a mile from my brother’s. Remember, this is two days after Jay started working at his new job in a real estate market that is completely out of control.
Coincidentally, a friend of mine from my medical training has a condo in Golden, and they happened to be moving out on the 23rd, so we moved in… and so it goes. Everything seems to be falling into place and I can’t help but be overcome with gratitude (and maybe a bit of calm). The condo we live in, which Otis calls “our hotel”, is walking distance to a twenty-nine thousand square foot rock climbing gym with unlimited yoga and fitness classes. The kids love it and we immediately got a family membership. Anyone who knew of my dream of “the hub”, this is it and then some. They thought of everything at this place and I love the little details like the foot shower. I am in awe, this is perfect (and a big bonus is that I didn’t have to build it).
My kids are settling in pretty well. Children are so resilient on the outside at least. Emi (my 3 year old girl) wondered if she was going to see her “fwends” again after the first day I took her to check out a potential preschool. She is doing great there and just started drawing people yesterday. Otis is adjusting well too, but he is a tougher nut to crack and I think he was feeling a little lonely at first. He seems to have connected more now, but the first week it was tough for me to watch him seemingly quiet and alone on the playground. A far cry from his pack of Little Lambs buddies at Lincoln. Kids are such mirrors in both beautiful and despicable ways. I love his excitement, but I am feeling a lot of sadness and loneliness and I think he is too.
In a lot of ways I feel like I have come home, but in many ways I feel alone in a sea of people very similar to me. I lived in Colorado before I went to PA school and always assumed that I would come back here. When I took the job in Three Rivers, it was because it was a rural and underserved area and it was close to the best rock climbing in the world. I fell into the most unique job of any other PA that I know, working for an MD that did homeopathy too.
It was easy to love it in California. The job was hard but very rewarding, and I quickly fell in love with the town and the people of Three Rivers. When I started my own family it was a bit easier to step away from that community and that role, but very hard to leave Dr. Rice. The next chapter allowed me to root in to the friendly little walkable town of Exeter that I had been living in all along.
There are so many things that I already miss about the central valley. All the faces and names I knew when walking or biking to work each day. The strength of the community and the way I felt it. The smell of the orange blossoms driving from Three Rivers just as you drop over the dam. The proximity to those marvelous trees. A $2 bag of oranges from the big orange in Lemon Cove. My backyard pool. The tightness of the alternative wellness community.
My incredible friends who saw me through huge life changes and growth and some of whom even flew to Ohio for my wedding. My continued connection to Dr. Rice through his daughter and granddaughter and all the other people who knew and loved him. The best neighbors anyone could ever hope for. The possibility of a weekend trip to the wineries and Cayucos. Relatively new friendships built on motherhood, business and so much more. My clients and the ability to serve them face to face. My Simple Shifters. All the great connections I made at Networking for Women. Three Rivers.
I am calm? I have a 1960’s home in a quiet neighborhood ½ mile from open space in Golden that will be ours in 2 weeks. We have tile and carpet and paint to think about and updating galore to do. I have two kiddos to take care of and support, as well as a husband who is so excited about his job that he works after we all go to sleep and before we all wake up. I meditate. I make lists of things to do with the business, the house, the schools, the pets. I accomplish a few things on the list. I am calm. I am sad to leave behind such incredible people and a simplicity and routine that I had created. I am excited about the new possibilities. I meditate. Change is inevitable, and we felt like we were ready for one, but I am very aware that it doesn’t always feel this good.
