Friday, January 2, 2015

There's No Place Like Home


If you could live absolutely anywhere, where would it be? I mean even if you're completely happy with your current roots, where would you love to call home if you had to relocate without limitations? 

I'm a total homebody. I'm not at all adventurous and I have never strayed too far from the security of the place I've always called home. Some people are restless - they live for journeys, new experiences and exploration but that's not really me. I love to be surrounded by the familiar and predictable. I know - I'm the very definition of boring. Look up boring in the Oxford and there's a boring, nondescript photo of me in a knitted jumper stroking a boring cat. At times I regret not having the urge to experience new horizons but my comfort zone is where I live best and on most days, I happily accept that. 

Lately however, we've had to give thought to expanding our horizons due to a quest for new job opportunities. The tides are shifting around us like tectonic plates and although change is not something I choose to suddenly embrace and celebrate, sometimes it's not about choice but about surviving, evolving, thriving and succeeding. 

In reference to a post I wrote last year titled Tree Change, Sea Change Or Me Change, I could still see myself living happily in a coastal or rural small town environment, perhaps enjoying a more balanced version of our family life but sadly the realities of career choices don't lend themselves to that option too easily. On the other hand and perhaps thinking more extremely, I loved New York and I wondered from the minute I set foot on its busy, bustling streets eighteen months ago whether I would be able to live there if the opportunity ever arose. New York felt a bit like home in a strange way, just more like home "on steroids". I think I could live there but all the challenges that accompany relocating a family play a role in my ever-present second thoughts. That, and the fact that I still quite predictably love the notion of being here at home more. 

London? Loads of people I know have lived in London. Could we do it? I guess so, but truthfully I just don't have the required enthusiasm for London as our next destination if a next destination is required. Doesn't feel different enough or something. And it just feels too "grey". (I know - I'm boring AND shallow).

Italy? I love Italy and I love Italians. But could we live there? Perhaps, but I predict I'd get monumentally fat. I love Italian food too much. All that pasta, gelato and scallopine. It would certainly be an adventure but probably more like an adventure of the gastronomical kind for me.

So help me out here. Where would you like to live if your choice was free from limitations? Where have you lived and loved? Where would you love to live but you know, like me, that you're not brave enough? I'm looking for some location and lifestyle inspiration. I need you to tell me your tales so I can learn to believe it's possible to spread your location wings and thrive in new pastures if that's what is required in my next chapter.

Thankfully for now though, there's no place like home and my Aussie summer is more than good enough for me.




6 comments :

  1. New York is amazing. I moved back to Sydney 7 months ago after living in NYC for 3.5 years and having my daughter there. I would love back in a heartbeat :)

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    1. Thanks for your comment, Christine. So great to hear some positive feedback about living in NYC - might need to hit you up for a little advice if it becomes a possibility! Xx

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  2. People who relocate alone, face challenges about setting out into the unknown...alone. I have to admit, I wasn't all that good at doing that myself. Home was my preferred default position. Overwhelmingly for the reason of aloneness. In retrospect, I firmly believe I inhibited my own career and personal development opportunities from this form of timidity.
    Unlike me, wherever you go, you will be taking your home and heart with you. On one hand, this may feel like huge responsibility. On the other, the experiences you will share will be magnified to the power of.....your combined energies and love for each other.
    XX FGM

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    1. Thank you FGM - wise words as always. And you're right. I guess the expression home is where the heart is can ring true on a journey too. xx

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  3. I would be a traveller. If money was not a limitation, I would have a Bus designed for our family, and we would travel around Australia meeting people, exploring this beautiful country.

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    1. I'm with you on that one, Mrs. Mathewson. That sounds awesome. Damn money, it always gets in the way of our dreams, doesn't it?!

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