delicious ambiguity + the joy of possibility

via Dismount Creative

the question I am asked second most about our move to Taiwan is this: what are you going to do?

when most people ask that question, they usually mean “do” for work, not just “do” in general. I don’t as of yet have a job lined up. there are some options I could pursue to continue working in my current field as a consultant. the school has said it would be easy for me to find work teaching English, or possibly tutoring other subjects. or I may not have a job at all, in the conventional sense or otherwise.

so what am I going to do? the short answer: I don’t know.

there was a point in my life [not too long ago, actually] where that would have terrified me. I was always the girl with the plan. in fact, I sat down and scheduled out every single class I wanted to take throughout college before I ever moved in to the dorm. and you know what? that plan, like most, didn’t work out. instead of loading myself up on classes and doing a summer internship so I could graduate in 3.5 years, I let myself actually enjoy college. I had time to meet friends, and Husband. I found an incredible internship and moved to New York and found a great job. and it all ended up working out much better than my original plan. so not having it all planned out, not knowing what I’m going to do? that’s ok.

“I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious Ambiguity.”
― Gilda Radner

but, no, really. what am I actually going to do? the long answer:

let me start by answering the question with another question… what is it that I can’t do? seriously. I have two whole years where I can choose to spend my time however I like. two whole years to accomplish anything. I could write a book. start a business. complete a happiness project. build a kickass photography portfolio. bake 10 million cake pops. run a marathon on the Great Wall of China… the possibilities are literally endless.

I might not accomplish all [or any] of those things, but I have the opportunity to try them. or anything else I want. how incredible, how fantastic, how completely awesome that I have the chance to do this with my life.

[cue the fireworks and dancing unicorns]

and it might turn out that life in Taiwan may not be all pyrotechnics and musical numbers. it might just be little things like running through the park. reading. walking to the farmer’s market. meditation. learning to surf. skype dates. keeping a clean house. photography. cooking. learning Mandarin. biking to the mountains. daily journaling. planting a balcony garden. traveling. crafting. blogging to you lovely people… and that’s ok too. in fact, that all sounds pretty awesome.

so what am I going to do in Taiwan? I am going to live each day as it comes. enjoy the moment. try new things. kick the fear of the unknown in the teeth. do what I love. attempt to seize all this possibility and make something of it. and maybe in the process, if I'm lucky enough, I might unearth some deep self-truths about who I am and what I want to do with my life.

but at the very least, I will have an adventure.

home again, home again

I'm typing this post from the iPad, lying in the sun in my backyard in Michigan. isn't technology awesome?

on Sunday, I drove the first load of our stuff back to the mitten. packing up things gave me a lot to think about... what to take with us, what to leave here, what to get rid of. I think this move will be a great opportunity to get rid of some clutter in our life. this is only the first load of stuff I'll be driving back, but we made sure to pack the car to the brim.

included in that carfull was one of our cats, Beaumont. he is going to be living here in MI at my parent's house for the next few years. I’ve had more than a few emotional moments about leaving him behind, but 20 hours of travel to Taiwan followed by a 6 week to 6 month quarantine doesn’t seem fair to him.

I adopted Beau in October 2008. this is a picture from the first night I had him – just a baby. he is curious and energetic, loves to snuggle, and comes running when I call his name. and he is fluffy. very fluffy.

I will miss him dearly, but I know my parents will take good care of him. already he is settling in and getting comfortable here [that's a yawn, not a roar]. my parents already have a cat at home, Lulu, and even though she and Beau haven't made friends yet it looks like they will be able to co-habitat a little more peacefully than Beau and Rocky ever did.

other than introducing the kittens... we have had visitors in town, Daddy-Daughter lunch dates [with spectacular shaved brisket with smoked gouda in a MI cherry BBQ sauce!] and gone out to dinner with friends to celebrate my Mom's retirement from teaching preschool! I've also tried to take a little time to slow down and enjoy this whole not working thing... morning coffee on the deck, sitting in the sun, and photographing my Mom's gorgeous flowers around the house and yard.

with the help a friend [thanks Mike!] the rest of the car load has now been moved to "storage" in my mother-in-law's basement. tomorrow I’m headed back east with Katie in tow for a long weekend full of trips to NYC and lots of photo fun. she's coming out to help me pack another load of stuff to drive back next week, but of course we need to enjoy ourselves a little too. my "cousin-in-law" Dave is also driving out to visit this weekend, so I'm sure lots of fun [and photos] will be had!