All posts tagged: new chapter

I’m crap at transitions, & ’empty nest’ is a big one (Part Two)

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So as you saw in Part One, I have a new dream of moving onto a community in the rainforest, 20 minutes from my current cute Australian town. But I was struggling with anxiety. ‘What’s underneath it all?’ the therapist asked me. ‘You sound informed, supported, capable, ready- what’s going on? What are you scared of?’ I sat, twisting the sodden tissue, cursing my sensitive stomach while I dug down through the layers… And came face to face with a desperate fear of failure. It just seemed too good to be true, and I couldn’t accept it. I couldn’t believe that after a year of fruitless searching for a rural property, & listening to my growing yearning for a tree change + a sense of community, it had actually fallen into my lap via word of mouth, perfect timing, and feasible financial gymnastics. I couldn’t delight in it. I had to worry about the details, and foresee as many problems as possible. It almost felt like my duty to do so, even though it didn’t …

Should I move from the suburbs to a forest community? I need advice

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I live in a small country town near the seaside in Australia, and am essentially a small-town girl. I love cities, and have spent years living in both Sydney and Adelaide, but I do love the friendly simplicity of cycling round a limited number of streets and shops, seeing familiar faces. I’ve been lucky enough to own my current home since 2005, so my share is now way bigger than the bank’s- hurray! I live left of the town centre, down a quiet yet popular street, within a 7-minute drive to the beach. And since ’19’ flew the nest, I’ve been house-hunting. Yes, I’m just one more statistic: downsizing now that I’m at home alone. Until three months ago, I’d been looking at properties almost every week. Then I suddenly realised I felt like I was trying waaaaay too hard, for no result. So I stopped. I took a deep breath, sanded and oiled the front stairs, did a gardening blitz, then chilled out. I’m very blessed: my elevated home faces a small mountain, so …

New chapter means new hairdo, yes?

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Proudly, my hair is salt ‘n’ pepper. Probably more salt now actually. And I love it. After many years of keeping it short, a couple of years ago, I grew it into a slightly messy bob, and discovered that silver hair often has a bit of a wave or curl to it… But as I launch myself into a new phase of online dating, I’ve decided it’s time for a new look. Now YOU, my dear readers, have followed me through so much: celebrated the one year anniversary, mourned and commiserated through the break up, cheered me as I came out the other side, and positively encouraged me to move forward into the next life chapter. So it’s entirely fitting you help me with this bit too! I asked ’17’ what sort of chop I should get, but this was his brutal honest response: “Mum, I’ve got better things to do than look at pictures of old ladies’ hair cuts.” Fair enough. But YOU, dear reader, surely you can give me a minute? Do you …