we've found it. there are a few things we love, absolutely love, to do. we love to be the four of us all together. we love to love others. we love to share our time and give gifts and we believe Acts 20:24. we love to bike, camp, paddleboard, and jeep.
so, how do we live it. we can't do those things if we are spending every penny we have and more on the roof over our heads, if our home and yard upkeep take the majority of our time, if we have to work multiple jobs and many, many, many hours.
we can live that way of life if we live in a tiny, inexpensive place. then the job ben loves will take care of our needs and (within reason) the things that we enjoy. then he won't have to work second and third jobs. then i can do some small jobs that i love, because they are a blessing to the people i do them for and with. then we can work hard and play hard.
i have that quote taped on the front door, so every time i walk by, every time i walk through, i see it. and it reminds me that if i don't want us to be stuck, i have to do something (a lot of somethings) about it. i have to make the phone call, and the next phone call. i have to keep track of the pertinent info. i have to go through the boxes and cupboards and shelves. i have to get ready for the sale. i have to do the work. i have to meet the deadline. and set another one. and meet that one, too.
and it takes courage. courage to talk to the attorney again, and to one more banker and one more real estate agent and the new landlord. courage to go through things that have been gifts, things that are heirlooms, and decide to pass some of them on and to sell some of them, even a lot of them. courage to go through boxes of old memories. courage to throw away things that are just dragging along with us.
it's going to take courage for ben to apply for fire jobs in the places we really want to be. if he really wants the job, it's not just sending off an application. it's taking a trip, walking into an office, making introductions, and making that FMO (fire management officer) or Sup (superintendant) believe that they just don't want to get along any longer without ben on their crew. he's got it, though. he's got courage and skill and wisdom and strength.
and we've found it. we've really found the way we want to live.
and we're working toward it, one step at a time.
the next step is getting everything sorted and set up for our moving sale.
after the sale, we'll be moving into town, into a small apartment. we'll winter there. and when spring comes, we'll see where we'll be - maybe here for one more fire season, maybe somewhere different . . .
we're finding the courage, making the plans, and starting to head a new direction. we are, all four, quite excited. we are lucky enough to be in this together.