It was eight weeks ago today that we arrived to our little cottage in Falmouth. It seems like we have been here for 6 months. Yet is also feels like we arrived only yesterday.
The months of stress leading up to the sale of our home and our belongings left us physically and mentally drained. Selling our home was one of the most stressful moments of our lives. Add to that the stress of having to sell our belongings, and we were truly at wit's end.
It was only a couple days prior to the closing on our house that we sold some of our big furniture, including our dining room set and our piano. Countless trips to the charity donation store to drop off car-loads full of items. Negotiations on craigslist and Facebook, with endless answers of 'Yes, it is still available'. And packing and negotiating the small amount of things that we were taking with us.
The farewell from Colorado was not difficult. We initially had considered staying in the Denver area for the summer. But we decided to go for broke and pick a far-off destination to begin our adventures. Cape Cod was where we met in 1988. A return stay for the summer of 2022 was our destiny.
The long, 3-day car ride across the country was both challenging and cathartic. Stretches of endless roadway allow you a surplus of moments for thinking and self-reflection. The long drive also allowed for moments of excitement about what was to come, as well as the what-have-we-gotten-ourselves-into moments of terror.
Driving into the gravel driveway of our little Falmouth cottage, we were so excited to be ending our journey, and so nervous about our immediate future. It took but a moment to realize we made the right decision.
We have grown to love our tiny little cottage. It is not fancy. It is very basic. It is small. But it is ours. And eight weeks of living here has made us appreciate it more every single day. Would we like to change a few things about the cottage? Sure. We would love a slightly larger bathroom. A bigger bed would be nice. Central air-conditioning sure would be nice on those sultry days. But we started this entire journey with the intention of simplifying our lives, and this cottage has allowed us to embrace and enjoy that simplicity.
And when we are out and about, exploring or just relaxing at the beach, when we are ready to leave, we say, "Let's go home". For our cottage is home.
Would we have brought more things with us? Perhaps a couple. I wish we had our pillows. Something about having your own pillows. So, this past weekend we bought new pillows and pillow cases that we will bring to each of our future AirBnB homes. I also miss my coffee maker. And my rice cooker. But those last two things (and even the pillows) are unnecessary, as we have everything we need here in our little cottage.
Eight weeks in and we have done so many things. We have extensively explored our neighborhood, chatted with friendly neighbors, and discovered the many hiking trails nearby. We have cooled off with countless swims in our community pond. We have visited the beach more times these past 8 weeks than we have in the past 30 years. We enjoy sitting at the beach, taking in the sights, sounds and smells. Swimming in the cool Cape waters is the ultimate treat after a nice long walk. We have done a bit of exploring on the Cape, visiting towns and neighborhoods we have only driven through in the past. We have spent a day in Boston, and a fun day visiting Newport. I would venture to say that we have done and seen more these past 8 weeks than most people will do in 8 months.
And we're not done. There is so much more to do, to see, to explore, to experience. And we can't wait.
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