It has, in fact, been a month and a week since we moved in to this co-housing community and we are really enjoying it! Life is full and hectic and wonderful and there is space where I didn't expect it and busyness where I didn't expect it.
After three weeks of "limbo" between homes during which we went on a mini road trip, stayed with the grandparents, and lived in an RV, we were spent and so ready to move in. It was a sad goodbye to our little city by the sea and all the dear people we love and leave there. (Okay, it's only a 25 minute drive from our new place...sheesh!) It was sad because we had put down deep roots there. Our children had grown so much! Heck, we went from a family of four to a family of five! It felt significant. And so for three weeks we felt like we were mourning the loss of the home we loved and hadn't yet been able to celebrate the entry into a new community with new neighbours.
It was far more difficult than we had anticipated!
But then moving day came, and over the next few days we got all the stuff that we had in storage, and at the grandparents' house, and at our (previous) next door neighbour's house, and unpacked it all. Then re-arranged. Then re-arranged again. It's tricky business trying to fit one house's stuff into a completely different house!
A beautiful thing we discovered almost immediately about co-housing is that our girls had so much freedom! The building is secure and so they could run out of our unit and play with the community kids in the atrium, or run to the common house play-room and zoom around on the many roll toys and bikes laying around. They were crazy happy! In fact, we would wake up in the morning and they'd be in our bed asking "can we go out and play?" before we even got out of bed. It has certainly made the transition easier on us all that they are so happy.
They have their moments - we all do - of feeling sad and missing our old neighbourhood and people, but the richness we gain from living here is incredible! Good and bittersweet it is.
I think in the excitement and stress of moving though, if I'm honest, I've had a hard time really keeping focussed on our values. I feel like I've lost touch somewhat with what on earth we were doing, and why. And how does co-housing fit in again? And what are we doing here? And what now?
It's kind of hard to be honest like this, because this whole thing has been something we've so openly projected. There's a VISION, and a REASON, and we're HEADED IN A DIRECTION. The funny thing is, our direction has changed as we've been at different points of having to wait and be patient.
Aaaaah life!
I'm getting it back though. I'm remembering. This post is part of that. Meeting new friends and explaining the journey is good. It helps me to remember that this step is a part of a whole. I think of where we were, and the questions we had about feeling restless and wondering where that came from. I think of how we went through that process of honing our values, then holding them up to our life, analyzing what matched and what needed to be turfed. We then put our house on the market and waited, and waited, and waited, and well, waited some more. While we waited, our strong plans softened, and we allowed new ideas to seep in through the cracks. We felt led to hold our plans with a much looser, much more open hand, in order to let go of some of those "non-negotiables" that we were so sure of. It was so very orchestrated. We then caught wind of co-housing and were intrigued, and then tested the waters and were fascinated. In such a short amount of time we had peace and assurance that it was right for us, and not long after that had that reaffirmed as we amazingly GOT the place. And then, what peace there was in knowing our home would sell, in spite of the months on the market with an average of 6 (or so) showings a week. We had this eerie peace that said, "You know your path, now trust." And sell it did. Just in time for it all to work out.
And now here we are, having been through what feels like a crazy spin cycle in the washing machine and we've come out on the other side quite wonderfully happy!
We really are still settling in. I feel like the dust is starting to settle and things are starting to take some shape as to how our days are rolling. The girls seem to have remembered themselves and their usual manners (which they certainly lost for a few weeks there!), and are helping out around the house as I ask them to and as we try and sort out details like where the board games will go, and where we'll keep the extra blankets. All these minute details add up to SO MUCH TIME, but it's all good. It's good.
It's good.
Thanks for letting me process and remember, friends. Peace to you.
