As I reflect on this January 1, 2020 post (pasted below) and the past two years since said post, I find myself asking “What story did I create for myself these past two years and did I live up to my intentions?”.
My 1/1/2020 Social Media Post:
"Page one of 365, the pages ahead are blank and the opportunities are endless. Why not hit refresh and start something unfamiliar? Trust the magic of new beginnings.
What will your story be?
✨ Life won’t sparkle unless you do - so sparkle on, sparkle big, sparkle with all your heart and always spread and share the sparkle. ✨"
Welcome to my 2020-2021 recap and accountability report. Plus – a look at what’s next for me in 2022.
1/1/2020: I wrote said post (detailed above) and longed to create a new story for my future self. Just one day after said post, I notified a realtor that after nearly 20 years in our California home, we were ready to sell. I purged, donated, gifted and sold “stuff” that no longer served us well; all the while arduously prepping our home for sale, transitioning out of one of my 2 jobs and trying to survive and successfully manage a CA state tax audit for the small business that we owned.
2/2020: We listed our home for sale and bought a new home(base) in Los Alamos, NM. We were exiting California in an attempt to find new land to explore, sit in less traffic and transition into a slower and simpler lifestyle… Bring on Life 2.0!
3/2020: The pandemic hit hard.
4/2020: We took our California home off market when our county banned home visits for realtors and buyers. We also rented out our future NM home(base) since it was looking unlikely that we would be moving to NM any time soon.
6/2020: We sold our home off market during very uncertain economic times () and unfortunately before realizing the economy was not collapsing and the housing market was about to surge. ♀️♀️
We packed up and sent one single storage pod with our remaining possessions to NM and prepped for a summer slow traveling through Alaska. With only a carry-on and small backpack in tow, we flew to TX to drop off our dog with our daughter and boarded a plane for Alaska with nothing (except for work) to tie us down for the next 4 months! I felt an incredible freedom for the first time in my life.
9/2020: Our summer slow traveling through Alaska came to an end, and we moved into our NM home(base).
10/2020: We began feeling burdened by the heavy and encumbering weight of our careers and owning a business. Work was the final tether requiring us to remain digitally connected and on-grid; it was our sole remaining constraint preventing us from fully reaching our Life 2.0 goals.
We received an unsolicited offer from a company to purchase our business. Although we didn’t accept that offer, we began considering what an early retirement might look like for us. We decided to explore selling the business and began connecting with potential buyers.
11/2020- 9/2021: Life was completely off balance; stress ran high and work hours were long with the goals and challenges of selling our business. We were also still settling into our new home(base) all the while trying to find time to stay true to our goals of untethering ourselves and adventuring more.
We struggled internally with not making friends in our new community due to the pandemic and our crazy work hours. Many days (more accurately weeks and months) were far from perfect but we pushed through and committed ourselves to trust the process. All the while hoping we were taking the necessary steps to create a better and freer tomorrow while trying not to get too discouraged by the bumps along the way.
10/2021: We sold the business and signed on with our buyer for a year commitment to assist in transitioning the company. We had a few full time work months in store for us in the beginning months but we were hopeful we would soon transition to an “on call” arrangement for the final months of our one year commitment.
12/31/21: In an attempt to remain authentic since social media has a way of making our lives look rose-colored and idealistic, these past 12 months have been nothing short of brutal with a dozen or so epic weeks thrown in there. Those rare high times helped me slog along through the tougher times. Ridiculous work hours, stress, lost (but not forgotten) loved ones and not having the time or energy to develop new friendships here in NM weighed heavily on me.
What’s up next for me and my next Chapter – 2022?
Now that work has wound down, I’m hoping to focus on building new friendships and finding time to grieve and heal from the loss of some BIG loved ones these past few years. That brighter future we’ve been working insanely hard to manifest feels within reach. A new beginning is definitely in the horizon!
My 2022 goals and intentions include:
- Manifesting new friendships
- A successful transition out of our business and careers
- Becoming less dependent on cell service and the internet (this will prove challenging while we are still “on call” for work)
- Letting go of even more of our possessions
- More travel through the US with our #Nucamp #Tab400 teardrop trailer (again, challenging while we are still “on call” for work)
- Developing my blog. I hope to inspire others to shift to a slower, simpler and more adventure and nature filled lifestyle. Cheers to more experiences and fewer things!
- A home(base) remodel because unfortunately my kitchen appliances are dying one by one
- Training for a 2023 five month thru hike. We are still deciding between the PCT, CDT and the AT
- And last but not least… MORE ADVENTURES! Climbing some Colorado 14ers, backpacking, hiking, outdoor rock climbing, snow shoeing, skiing, exploring, discovering and ending the year trekking to Everest Basecamp for my birthday celebration (IF Covid restrictions allow).
Here we go 2022!
This new beginning has been a long time coming, basically what feels like my entire life, and I couldn’t be more thankful for your arrival!
Happy New Year everyone. May you all stay true to your intentions and take those necessary (albeit challenging) steps to create that life you have been dreaming of – however that looks to you! May the year 2022 be the year you follow your passion, stay true to yourself and never forget that it always feels impossible until it is done!
Sparkle on everyone! ✨
