Happy spring, people! It's been a whopping three months since my last post and almost an entire season has flown by. You are probably thinking, "this gal lives in Paradise, it's always the same season anyway". Well, I'm about to inform you of a colossal shocker! Wait for it...drum roll please...I now live in the frigid, frozen, freakishly cold state of MAINE!!! Yes, my OAO loves me so much he packed me up from my happy place and brought me to the exact place on the planet I vowed never to return to. The east damn coast! For the love!
To put it simply, a LOT has happened in the last three months. We completed what we could for renovations on our Paradise home (including a successful kitchen cabinet refacing as well as a guest bath overhaul). It was literally down to the second before we left for the airport to come here. So far, both sets of tenants are very happy and, knock wood, nothing dramatic has come up. My heart is in a state of constant sadness though. I grieve the loss of my house, my view, my weather, my ocean, my yard, my flowers, my trees, my birds, my limes, my pomelos, my life!
Do not think for one red second that I happily agreed to move to the frozen tundra. No sirree! I kicked and screamed, and maybe shed a few tears, the entire time leading up to landing here. I dreaded every last thing about coming back to the east coast. I felt like a failure in my own life. Why? Well, because as most of you know, I spent almost 40 long years trying to get out of this joint and finally had it made in the shade. To return here was nothing short of total deflation and defeat. Now, I do have a disclaimer to share with you. This little jaunt to the east coast is only temporary, and yes, I have it in writing! My husband's boss, Uncle Sam, has moved us here for a short time before shipping us out again (I'll get to that part shortly). So, I'm only going to whine about the cold for one season and then I'm off to far away lands again.
Here I am wallowing in my own self-pity, forgetting all of the fundamentals of the Law of Attraction that I boast so loudly about. And then it hit me. I'm in Maine. The antique barn capital of the world (okay, arguably the antique capital of the world, but you get my point). The single one thing that bugged me about Paradise was that shopping was limited. I hate clothes shopping, what I'm referring to here is "stuff" shopping. Interior design shopping. Home goods shopping! So I say to myself, "self, you have hit the mother load of junktique destinations. Lighten the hell up"!! That's right. Anything and everything that I could ever want for my beautiful home, I can purchase (sooooo much cheaper) here, annnnnnnnd not have to pay for shipping! Pull up those big girl panties and get a move on! Course, I'll have to wait another month or two for everything to fully open for the season, but a girl can plan.
Another change for us is that my OAO has entered into a professional part of his life where there is a ton of responsibility. With that responsibility comes stress, though mostly for me because that's what I do best. What this means to me is that I, too, have a new set of responsibilities. Both of us are just plugging through this new and unknown territory and making the best of what we have upstairs to help us make the right choices for all people involved in our lives. This new "job", if you will, has awoken a part of me that has not seen the light of day in quite some time. It's not comparable to my professional job, but the thought processes are the same. Dealing with people, dealing with difficult people, dealing with inquisitive people, dealing with making decisions and dealing with being a leader. While I tend to be the person who floats to the walls of a room at an event, I do have to admit that when put in the position, I can lead. I feel most comfortable helping people, empowering people and motivating people. I'm not so much a doer, unless I have to be, I'm more a teacher. I truly believe that if you give them the tools, they will flourish! This is the new role I have stepped into. The teacher, advisor, motivator. So far so good.
I mentioned that we are going to be packing up and leaving this frozen seaside retreat in a few short months. What I didn't mention is where we are going from here. Well, let me be the first to tell you that we are heading to GUAM! Yes, Guam. Yes, it's far away. Yes, it's tropical. Yes, it's an island in the western Pacific Ocean. And Yes, I am soooo very excited to be going! You see, this small town New England gal is about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. Beautiful white sand beaches, gorgeous, crystal clear waters and every Micronesian, Malaysian and southeast Asian travel destination one could dream of only a short hop away. Yes, it truly is a new beginning for both my OAO and me!
I remember sitting on the lanai of our first place in Paradise having a class of wine after dinner. I looked at my OAO and said (almost sadly), "all of my dreams have come true". He agreed and when I asked him what we were to do from there he simply replied, "we make new dreams". That truly was an understatement, though I didn't know it at the time. We've bought our dream house, achieved his professional goal, and are now about to enter the most exciting three years of our lives. Together.
Life's a beach, and then you live on one...
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