Talked about it. We had a lot of pros and a lot of cons on our list, making it difficult to ever truly commit to picking everything up and transplant ourselves in a strange new place. And now with our year and a half old twin daughters, the decision became even more difficult.
The pros for leaving Arizona were plenty. We wanted to live somewhere cooler. Somewhere closer to the mountains, forests, and wilderness. Somewhere less populated. Somewhere the education of our daughters is a priority, not a last topic in a state's budget plan. Somewhere better for raising a family than the sprawling, inhospitable desert. We wanted green. We wanted a breath of fresh air after years of dust.
The cons: Leaving family.
That was it. Just one con.
But when you have kids, it's a huge one. Most of my family are here; my parents, siblings, grandparents, uncles, cousins, etc...these people have supported me in anything I've ever wanted to do. They taught me everything I know about how to be decent and honest. I want them to be a big part of my daughter's lives.
Jen's parents have wanted to leave the valley for quite some time. They actually managed to. For a brief while they lived in Durango, until we announced that we were having twins.
Our red letter day was an afternoon in June when Zoe decided run out to the mailbox in our driveway. Barefoot. In less than 10 seconds, she had obtained 2nd degree burns over much of her feet just from the concrete driveway.
That was what did it. Holding Zoe in the burn unit ER, we decided that we needed to get out of the heat. Kids should be able to enjoy being outside, not have to hide from it for 6 months.
Once we finally came to a decision to move out of state, the next question was obvious: Where?
We took a long, honest look at ourselves and tried to pin down what was truly important to us.
What makes our hearts sing?
What we ultimately decided (and agreed on quite strongly), was that it was US. We want nothing more than to be together. As a couple, and as a family.
See, Jen and I have always been better together. For the better part of the last decade, we worked together at a small chain grocery store. We worked the same days and hours so we could carpool. We had the same lunch breaks, the same days off. We were together 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and we loved it. We get along better and communicate better when we are together. I don't know of many other couples that could do that, or that would even want to.
We also loved being outside, especially if it happened to be miles and miles away from the things of man.
I grew up camping and fishing, roaming around the desert with my dad, and feeling most connected when I'm in the sun under an open sky.
Jen was raised a backpacker and hiker with a great love for the outdoors and the desire to seek solitude and beauty in them. I've seen this girl take on trails and conditions some of my guy friends wouldn't go near. And she did it all without complaint, but with eagerness.
So, we've decided to move. The "where" is as of yet undetermined. We have an idea, but no spoilers yet.
The next question was, "What kind of lifestyle do we want to live, now that we are starting from scratch?"
What kind of story do we want to tell our little girls?
Jen and I are both admittedly very apolitical. We'd rather stay out of the messy affairs of our government. We are very interested, however, in being decent human beings. We like to support individuals who look out for humanity as a whole, and who realize the frailty of our only home out here in space.
We want our message to our daughters to be one of love, not of fear.
One of conservation rather than commercialism.
A message that relationships and experiences are more important than a portfolio.
We want to show them some the most beautiful places on earth. We want to teach them the importance of preserving and protecting this beautiful Earth.
And we're starting to realize that the way to do all of these things is by simplifying our life. We are realizing that we don't need near as much as we think we do to survive, and that the majority of our "stuff" is what is weighing us down.
It's going to be a journey, that's for sure. We have a long way to go, and we'll bring you along with us as we learn to live more simply and to love more greatly.
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