/blog

Talking to my wife last night I said that it was amazing how quickly we had settled in our new home and that it was amazing to think we've been here for almost 15 months. She replied that we didn't actually have to settle, we just hit the ground running.

She was right.

Looking back, it didn't feel like we were moving – it was more like we were coming home. And that's a wonderful thing to say. We took a massive gamble and it paid off better than we could have ever hoped.

It helped that we knew and liked the area from spending family holidays in and around this part of the country but there is a gulf between visiting and living. Luckily for us, it didn't feel like a gulf existed, it just felt entirely natural to set up home in a house we'd only seen on a virtual tour. ¹

Working from home meant that it didn't matter where home was but there was a lingering sense of unease. How long would I be able to work from home? How long would Covid last? Would I find a new job before having to go back to the office full time? I don't mind admitting that things were getting pretty intense as the months rolled by and nothing had materialised.

But, fortunately, everything came together and in two days I start the new job that enables us to stay here and never look back. The release of the underlying stress and anxiety has been liberating. Yes, I'm nervous about the new role – will it be interesting, will I be able to do it well enough – but it's more an excited nervousness than an anxious one. I feel like I can put a lot of the triggers for my anxiety and depression behind me, start a new chapter and get back to how things used to be before all that kicked in a number of years ago.

I said to one of my colleagues who was considering retiring early and moving to the coast that, if he was able, he should just go for it, take a leap of faith and follow his dream. We said at the time "if we don't do it now we never will" and it worked for us. I think there's a life lesson in there.

Listening to an interview with Natalie Imbruglia, about her return to music she said:

"it doesn't mean about being the best songwriter, it's about a communicative emotion"

I like that and think it applies to any writing, not just songs. You don't have to be the best, just able to connect, to share your thoughts, to let others understand. That's all you need.