Spring and new beginnings

I think moving here in Spring was perfect timing. A time for new beginnings. A time for growth. A time to “bloom where you are planted.” Some people assume that Bob and I have moved here to retire but that is not the case. As long as we are doing something we love and we are able then we will never retire. And we do not have the means to just stop working and put our feet up. Bob has been self-employed for many years now. He does not work all day every day. But there are days and weeks that he is onsite and are full on like last year when he was building two new tracks one in Dallas and one in Las Vegas. He traveled a lot! For most of the past 5.5 years I was working for a start-up division of a jewelry company. Most of the staff worked long hours to get the business up and running. Being the System Administrator for a start-up meant I was not only working those long hours but had to pretty much be available 24/7. If I took time off my laptop went with me. The only place I could actually go to get away and have a real vacation was here…Spain. This pretty much took over my life. The thought of work-life balance was just a dream. I stopped doing what I loved doing…nature photography. I used to do a daily photo blog but I had no time for that either. My point in telling you this is to give you a picture of what our lives were like before and how we want them and how they are different now.

Bob has plenty of work and between race tracks and expert witness work in the U.S. and other opportunities in Europe. I tease him that I will be enjoying our life in Spain while he is traveling back and forth. I quit my job to make this move and until I have my E.U. passport (I have Irish citizenship), or I have been here one year, I cannot work in Spain. My job now is to get this blog off the ground and in the process get back into my photography. I call it a my job because that is the way I approach it. This is my dream. To finally do something that I love is an amazing feeling.  To work on my dream instead of being paid to work on someone else’s dream is an incredible opportunity. Of course my hope (and plan) is that some day this will provide an income. This is my new beginning.

We have always been keen to try the next adventure. Some have been great leaps of faith and some unfortunately did not turn out as we had hoped. We have no regrets. If they had all worked out the only real difference in our lives is maybe we would have more money in the bank but money isn’t everything. Losing my income isn’t easy but we are willing to make adjustments to the way we live to make our dream happen. You see, that’s what it takes to follow your dreams. It means taking that chance on the possibility of something new. So many people are afraid of change. They may hate their jobs but they will not look for a new one because well it is all a bit hard and the pay may be lower if they go do something they really want to do. Their lifestyle will have to change. Guess what…there is nothing wrong with that. A great paycheck is wonderful but not if it prevents you from having the life you truly want. It’s the same with friendships and relationships. If it brings you more angst than joy then it is time to move on. “If you do not like where you are, move! You are not a tree.”

We’ve had many friends tell us that we have inspired them. Yippee! We can’t possibly tell you how happy this makes us feel. Will there be bumps in the road? Of course. But just imagine the possibilities. Imagine what you want to do and then every day do something that works towards that dream. I’m sure there are people that might think we are crazy to sell everything we own and move away from family and friends and move to another country. What if it doesn’t work? Ah, but what if it does!? What an adventure it will be.

New beginnings. Spring.

My parents instilled in me a love of nature and the great outdoors. My Dad was an avid nature photographer. I think they would be thrilled by our move to a vineyard. They would have loved to experience it through my eyes. They would want to hear about not only the vines but what else is growing here.

We’ve enjoyed watching the vines start to sprout and how quickly they’ve grown just in the past four weeks. Our daily walks through the vineyard and the village are an eye-opening exploration filled with surprises of what is blooming or growing. We arrived just at the end of the wild asparagus season. You can wander the property and just pick the wild asparagus. What a treat. There are olive trees and almond trees. Wild rosemary is everywhere. Spring wild flowers and new blooms from established plants are in abundance. I love that I have the time to actually enjoy these and photograph them.

I encourage you to follow your dreams. Make the time to explore new beginnings. Every day do something that takes you one more step in that direction. I’m not saying quit your job and run away. Although there are two people and they know who they are that I am telling them to do this. 😉

No dream is too big or too small. Take that painting class you’ve always wanted to do; learn to play an instrument; learn a new language; look for that dream job; move to where you really want to live even if it is just the next town over. We all get busy. We all get comfortable. Make time for you and your dreams. It isn’t selfish. It’s called living life to the fullest.