More Reflections 2 Years Down the Line

Our friend Bernie from Dublin joined us for dinner the other night and the subject of our move here to the Possum Kingdom came up.

It made JM and me realize that we have absolutely no idea how we actually accomplished this! Clearly, we did, as we are here. We can even go back and look at my book and blog entries and read the various steps that we took to get where we are.

Yet, with all that, the fact that we did this at all astonishes us. It seems almost too big a task for people who are, by nature, rather unadventurous! The truth is that we are really homebodies. We don't crave dramatic vacations. We don't feel like throwing ourselves out of airplanes or bungee jumping. The idea of camping out or going to a Third World country fills us both with horror.

But somehow, we managed to make the decision to move, get our house ready for sale, sell it and find a new house, all in less than a month. In less than three months, we had actually moved.

Perhaps what this proves is that we are all capable of doing things that we would normally think of as impossible. We should never limit ourselves due to our fears; but make our choices and carry on, strong in the belief that all will turn out well in the end.

Ciao for now.

Randy

Reflections on second anniversary in France

I meant to write this on Friday, but time got away from me.

Friday was the second anniversary of our moving into our little house in the Possum Kingdom (well, date-wise, I suppose it was really Saturday).

That time has both gone by quickly and also left us with the feeling of having been here forever; a paradox. There are moments when I find it hard to remember living anywhere else. Certainly there are plenty of moments (all of them, to be honest) when I can't imagine WANTING to live anywhere else.

Even on a rainy Sunday like the one we're having today, there is enough natural beauty surrounding us that I don't feel like complaining about the weather. Indeed, I look at the rain as a GOOD thing, because I know it is needed for the fields and orchards and that we will be grateful to have had it come summer. True, walking the Horde of Chthulu is much less fun in the rain, for them as well as for me. Still, it's more fun than it would be in L.A. or Paris for that matter.

Our home is now a true reflection of our personality and lifestyle. We have many, many friends and good acquaintances. We know our "neighborhood" as well as we did Reseda, Encino and Woodland Hills and I find it amusing to think back on how strange everything felt a mere two years ago. It reminds me of how I felt when I moved from Philadelphia to Los Angeles and had to get used to knowing that the ocean was to the west and not to the east. You feel disoriented for a time, then one day everything just settles and you feel comfortable once again.

I mentioned that time got away from me, which is why I didn't post this sooner. That is something I feel frequently these days. For people whose lives are probably extremely boring by most standards, we seem to never have enough time to do everything we need, or want to do. I have no idea how my days disappear so quickly and sometimes it almost frightens me! I wonder if everyone feels this way as they get older? Or am I just particularly disorganized?

Ciao for now.

Randy