I was thinking today, a month away from the two year anniversary of moving here, that I needed to find something to do...I looked into some photography classes and some volunteer options, nothing really lit me up yet. Then I started wondering??? Hmm, what was I doing before now? It seems like I was holding on by my fingernails while people, places and things just whirled around me at a frenetic pace. The I really realized all that had taken place in the almost two years since I arrived here...
The first six months beginning June 2010...how delightful, crazy, and scary they were. Lauren and I flew here, we met Ken and picked up the DES and went to our new home. I continued working, albeit long distance but still had my hand in the work world I'd left. Six weeks later Lauren went back to Houston, our shipment arrived and unpacking fun was had by all. We quickly realized what a mistake we had made in the house of our choosing. A few weeks later Rogielyn came to live with us. We subsequently traveled to Bali, Miri, Singapore and Perth. That was all in the three months before October...then the dreaded "C" word entered our life and we flew to Houston for 10 LONG weeks of doctors, radiation, and of all things, a broken ankle.
We brought Mr. Ken with the broken ankle back to KL in mid December, to the house with 3 sets of stairs, Cobra snakes, chemo treatments, and more travel. In early 2011, we went to Singapore many times, back to Perth in February. Everything seemed to rock along. I finally officially "retired" and ended my consulting agreement with my former company in February. Then there were trips to London, Italy and Switzerland in March. In April the storm that is named Lauren came to town with all of its various 18 year old things, some good, some not so good. Sometime in May we started having security issues with every other night attempted break ins...Ken always traveling somewhere...Seemed like there would never be any sleep. Chemo rocked along until June... then no more and gratefully went to a pill everyday and Mr. Ken's health seemed on the upswing. Some trips were made to Singapore, Perth and Malaka. In July I broke MY ankle and did physical therapy all the way up to December. Some trips were cancelled but some trips were taken..Cherating, Genting and Langkawi. In November Lauren went back to Houston, and we found out we had to move houses (yeah!). We searched for a house, found one, made a quick trip to Perth before the movers came and we all, Mr. Ken, Rogielyn, Desi and I, happily moved in by Christmas.
In January we went to Houston. We saw, we met, we drove, we saw, we met...we did alot in a short amount of time. In February we were back home in KL. Then we went to Perth, Singapore, and back to Perth. In between we had an out of town visitor, our first! Throughout all of the three months we bought fish, killed fish, kept fish, bred fish; bought turtles, kept turtles, bred turtles. I worried incessantly over the pond...Mr. Ken traveled even more, as he always does, and came back from Vietnam sick. A few tests and a lot of prayers and breath holding later, all results were excellent and he was as good as 18 months ago.
In between all of the above there were many spas visited, restaurants eaten at, friends made, and blogs posted marking each and every event...a new Ipad to learn, and a new MacBook to hate somewhere in the mix....
And, then here we are in May of 2012.
All I can say is - ALOT can happen in two years!!
Why am I just today reminiscing over the last two years? Well, because since we've been back from Perth for a week, I've been at loose ends. I keep thinking I must have more things to do. Though, honestly, everything I can think of to do...finally organize all the photos from the last three years, print them, scrapbook or put them in albums, take a class, find a hobby, volunteer...go to cooking school, book a trip. ..I just can't seem to muster up the energy required to do any of them. I told Mr. Ken after Perth I wanted to stay home for awhile...until Phukett at the end of May. So, suddenly, what was making me itch to do something when all I REALLY wanted to do was....nothing.
I realized. I had come crashing down to Earth. I was finally actually just living here, day to day, minus the next crisis or shoe to drop, minus the next bag to pack or unpack...minus work, minus worry, minus stress. In other words - if I am not the stressed out, worried woman I once was or the globe trotting, packing a bag every other week, spajunkie I thought I'd become, who was I?
Here is the conclusion I came to... I've come crashing down to Earth. I like Earth, it's a good place to be. I like no worry and no stress. I even like having nothing to do in a day but make dinner, post a blog, feed the turtles and fish or, God help me, read ANOTHER book. Oh, I know I need to do something...sometime...but...for now, I've decided to enjoy this time of laziness. This season, as it were. This being, and having a relaxed, slow, lazy life.
You never know when you might need all the energy you are saving up being lazy for the NEXT two years of frenzy.
Living life in the SLOW lane, FINALLY. Two years after retirement, a year and three months after "official" retirement.
Love, spajunkie