Work...Life...Balance: Note To Self

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work, life, balance
I can honestly say I'm not sure what that is

my work_ life_ balance is like a teeter totter

fast some weeks, slow and methodical others

some days soaring like a kite and other days like watching paint dry

mostly my life is just crazy
not in a bad way
just a...
 chase your tail like a crazy beagle sort of way

and  sometimes....when I wake up in the morning I'm not sure which city I'm in


I have now moved again...yes seriously...again
which is probably why I haven't blogged that much and should probably work for Bekins Movers.

Unfortunately I know exactly how many medium sized boxes I will need to pack up my kitchen,
which is an odd talent, unless as I said,  your are a professional mover
 but anyway...

lets do the moving math shall we:

(1) I sold and moved from my "dream home" in 2011 into a nice condo (2) while we were renovating another  property (3) we owned in Ojai

After about a year later, our lease is up in the condo so we (4) decide to move to Ojai
and give it a go there full time
We actually owned the Ojai ranchette for about 5 years but lived there full time for only 2 years
My husband was commuting all over the US but had an office in Pasadena so guess what? 
we sold the Ojai house in 2013 and rented an uber modern condo (5) in Old Town Pasadena
right on Colorado Blvd
(talk about country/city vertigo...whew what a change)

After just one...yes one month in the condo,  we purchase a little Spanish house in Santa Barbara(6)
and now drive back forth to Santa Barbara every weekend from Pasadena

 Our lease is now up in our spacious Pasadena condo so we move to another apartment (7)
much too small...like, what was I thinking small
(a terrible idea, but I gave it a shot)
because we seriously wanted to spend more time in Santa Barbara and start renovating

are you still with me? were at 7 houses since 2011
and just in case you forgot...I keep selling everything I own every time we move ; /
which can be good or bad depending on how you look at it


OK so here we are with a cute house in Santa Barbara, that needs major work and a way to small apartment in Pasadena...so what do we do?

what else
we accept a new business opportunity
and move to Palo Alto (8) in the San Francisco bay area
I kid you not
here we are

Living in face book land, with hipsters,
tech junkies and Stanford grads
and a lot of other really nice people
who don't have anything to do with any of that stuff


sound like fun?


well yes...sort of...but it's also scary.
So here is what I have learned in the last few years and
why change can be a very good thing

Change forces you to do things and face challenges whether or not you really want to

Change demands that you stay interested:
in life, new ideas
and respect and listen to the perspective and opinions of new people, in new places

 Change allows you to explore:
new cities, new restaurants, new running trails, new neighbors, new farmers markets
and new antique stores (just ❤︎saying)

 Change makes you take risks:
Can you survive?....yes you can and remind yourself it really is all about the journey
and this is your story to embrace
and to write
as you live it,
melt downs included

 Change enables you to let go;
letting go of stuff, of repetition, letting go of narrow minded thinking
and saying goodbye to negativity

 Change is about finding perspective:
open mind, open heart, open road
and
relishing the beauty of every new day, rain or shine

 Change is about living with just enough:
what ever your "enough" is,
challenge yourself to find that balance and really enjoy your half full glass of sweet tea
because your life is yours alone and it is far more perfect than you probably know

 
 Change is what is supposed to happen: whether or not at the time
it seems right and wonderful
or
 just downright unfair and wrong

Its the catalyst for opportunity and growth at any age

 I have a huge amount of respect for the challenges of change and have had more than my share of doubt and drama
but change can be healthy....and oddly enough although this is not what I had planned
my glass is almost always half full and my story is still being written
melt downs and all
🌻
ps....we still own the little Spanish house in Santa Barbara ; )
and I promise not to sell it (and all of the furniture) until its finished


to be continued
xo