THE PASSAGE OF TIME

AND a QUESTION for YOU!

For some reason today I have been thinking about the strange way that time seems to pass.

Years can fly by, minutes sometimes seem like an eternity.

Ten years ago Jonathan was asked if he would consider moving to TX for 18 months to 2 years.  He sort-of..., in a round about way... brought the request to my attention.

You see, we had recently moved into our new home.  One we had worked really hard and saved for.  We were excited about the location.  We loved living in CO.  We had done a lot of the work on our home ourselves.  We did the flooring, painting, lighting, landscaping, anything and everything that we could possibly do!  Why in the world would we want to move?  He thought I would never be on board and support him in this request but immediately I knew it was what we needed to do.  We needed to at the very least explore the offer further as well as the DFW area.

We flew to TX during spring break.  We had a look around.  I loved the warm spring weather and rain as well as the flowers and trees which were blooming everywhere.  And I was excited for the opportunity to get to know my nieces better.

Moving for a couple of years wouldn't be a big deal; I felt that.

The new opportunities that were placed before us outweighed any of our concerns about leaving CO.

We had been greatly enriched by our time in VT, if I could have survived the winters there better with my health and if the company Jonathan was working for at the time would have been better, we may have never left.  That was a sweet time in our lives, a truly unique and extraordinary experience.  

CO was wonderful in a completely different way.  We had decided that CO would be our "forever" home.  (Ha, ha.)  We would live there forever, raise all of our children there (forever), in relatively close proximity to family.  (Not really close but close enough and as close as possible!).  We believed we would eventually die and be buried there.  We loved the lifestyle in CO: the hiking, biking, mountains, sunshine, bright blue skies and plenty of outdoor fun! 

In fact, I have a bit of a confession to make.  I had always wanted to live in CO.  I thought of it as my safe place...even when I was living in Italy.  Isn't that funny?  When I first arrived in Italy and some scary things happened right away, I would think to myself, "I'm not that far from home, everything is going to be fine, I am in an Italian speaking area of Colorado."  (Ha, ha!)  What a silly thing to think in order to get me through a rough patch.

So, naturally, when Jonathan was looking for work in other parts of the US while we were in VT, Colorado was at the top of our list.  And it ended up giving us the best offer with the best company at the time.

However, now I find myself here (in our temporary state - pun) in TX 10 years later.  I have lived here longer than any where else, except for my home in the Seattle area.

We have had many times when a move back to CO has presented itself in some form and it hasn't been right or hasn't worked out.

Even though TX was never on our radar and never on our list of places to live, we have gained so much from living here.  The people are friendly and love to chat with anyone.  The schools and education opportunities for the kids have been wonderful!  The weather has been really good for my health.  And we have gotten the opportunity to know 2 of my nieces in a way that would have never happened otherwise.

Maybe it is Spring Fever talking but as much as I love it here, I could be up for a new adventure.  I guess I get restless when I have been in one place for a long time.  I don't believe I could ever talk Jonathan into going where I would love to go next.  It would require him to learn a new language :), but that wouldn't be the reason that would keep him from moving there.

You may be wondering now if our home is on the market again, no, it isn't. I'm just thinking about how our little temporary adventure turned into our life here for 10 years.  And how that time was so full that we didn't ever realize how quickly it was flying by.

SOOO....  if you could live any where, where would it be?  Or if you could have a temporary adventure in any location, where would you choose to go..., if you could?

I have a list...

I would love to know what destination(s) would be on yours?

Please tell, don't be shy!

Comments

[Karen]

You know, I am SO grateful that you guys came to Texas. Imagine how little I would know of my Rich family if you hadn't. (Not that I know a lot, but I know so much more than I would have.)

In fact, I would probably be a totally different person!

Secretly, my temporary place has always been the South. At least, it has been since we went to Fripp Island. I love the Southern history and culture. (And wouldn't it be fun to get a little twang?)

I doubt I would want to raise my family there, but it would be a fun, relaxing adventure.

[Valerie Chandler]

In the shadows of a temple....

Loved living across the corn field from the Mt Timp one!

[Kim]

#1. I am sitting here this morning watching the snow pour down from the heavens and wishing my dear friend was here to share hot cocoa with. Yes, I said snow. That's Colorado for you.

#2. I have always wanted to go back and live in Japan. I lived there as a child and grew to love the culture and people. It holds a special place in my heart.

[Jonathan]

Doesn't matter as long as you are by my side!

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1622117957]

Ciao Marilyn, io e mio marito un giorno quando saremo soli vorremo andare a vivere in un paese sul mare per respirare l' aria buona. Penso che lo faremo. Un bacio

[Mindy]

Hi Marilyn...great post btw! It's truly amazing how we want our lives to turn out, but end up in a totally different direction. Chris and I would love to experience the beautiful outdoors of Colorado. I think I would be ok living there. But Tx is my comfort zone...haven't even been out of the country. I would also like to visit Austria (I think that's it) where the 'Sound of Music' was filmed. Gorgeous.

[Stacy]

I have never been the "mobile" type. Some people have a burning desire to visit all different places, but I don't. I like to look at photos, hear about places, and if I'm on vacation I enjoy it to the max, but I don't end up home waiting to go somewhere else. When we decide where to go on vacation, I usually try to figure out who I haven't seen in the longest. For me, I suppose it's not where I'm at, it's who I'm with. If my parents and siblings tragically died off, however, I would head to Maui in a heartbeat! I like the tropical hut idea! On vacation someday, I would like to see Ireland and Australia, maybe New Zealand.

Honestly, I don't know how people move from place to place repeatedly. That makes me stressed out, and WAY out of my comfort zone. I admire your "make it happen anywhere" attitude, and thinking of the positives in anything. I will forever be grateful for your move to Texas, as well as my reluctant move there, which was definitely the right choice. Right now, I am back where I started, back where I know I'm supposed to be, and just soaking it all in. I miss miss miss you though Marilyn!

[Mary]

As I am watching the snow fall outside my window I know I am happy with where I am at. I would love to explore however. I would love to live in Alaska. But---only during the summer. I think all the dark during the winter would be too hard to handle. I would love to live in Australia. See the outback. Explore Ayers Rock. I would love to go to Central America and see the ruins there. I am not sure I would want to live forever in any of those places. I do know I could live anywhere as long as my husband were by my side and I could see my children and grandchildren often.

[Beatrice]

Cara Mar, per me il luogo dove vivere dipende molto dalle persone che amo, dove sono loro lì voglio essere anch'io. Se poi posso scegliere anche il luogo beh, mi piacerebbe vicino al mare con la montagna alle spalle. Però sai come siamo noi italiani meridionali, ci leghiamo molto alle persone,alle cose ed anche ai luoghi, per cui riuscirò a far avverare questo sogno? Vedremo......