Getting Out of the House & Craving Space

Sometimes, and especially lately, hopping in the car and driving to… anywhere really, has the power to bring clarity when you need it most. Such was the case last night.

We have all felt a bit restless this week. This usually happens when it rains for a few days, which it rained almost every day this week, and that means we’re stuck inside for a while. When that happens, the kiddos get antsy, wanting to run around and play outside and the whole house feels the effects of Mother Nature. Besides the just the weather, we’re feeling somewhat discombobulated in general lately. Maybe it’s the current political climate, or the pandemic, but we’re feeling the need for release, which is one of the reasons we’ve been focusing on the land so much and driving out there almost every day. We love being there so much and seeing the kiddos running around and having fun. We can breathe easier when we’re there. No distractions, just our family and nature. And truthfully, do you need anything else?

Before driving out to the land last night, we took a detour and ended up at a nearby lake as the sun was setting. It was quiet. It was peaceful. It was exactly what all five of us needed. We’ve found that as much as we want it, we also need space and land and more privacy than our house in town offers. In these almost claustrophobic times, we crave the wide open space both figuratively and literally to be able to relax and, as cliche as this sounds, find peace.

As the months drag on and we’re all settling into the reality that this is our new reality (and will be for a long time it seems), we’re brainstorming and drawing up more plans than ever to make the land a more permanent place for our family to be. What does that mean? What does that look like? We’re still sorting that part out at the moment, but to be honest, almost no idea is off the table. All we know right now is we’re happiest out there individually and as a family. Almost every time we’re there the kiddos find a new bug or a new insect (or, like last night, a turtle!) to ooooo and ahhhh over. There’s nature happening all around us and we just don’t get that at our place in town.

Would we sell our house in the city? Probably not, at least not right now. But what if we had a more permanent house on the land and we ended up falling in love with the lifestyle of living out in the middle of nowhere? No distractions or small town politics or anything but our us and our family. We’re even considering building a small cottage for a family member on the land so it will truly feel like home right away. Like we said, no idea, no matter how big or small, is off the table at the moment.