When the grass is aways greener

It seems like you can look around you any given time and see your dream life being lived out by someone else. Someone who’s further ahead, someone who’s doing all the things you wish you could be doing, someone who has the time… 

I made a comment recently about how the grass will always be greener on the other side until you put your gloves on and tend your own garden. 

I’ve been giving this a lot of thought these days because it’s summer here in France and we kept thinking about vacation and where we’ll go.  The desire is always to go somewhere, to get away from the stress, from the growing list of home reno projects and the ever ringing telephone or even the dishes in the dishwasher that need to be put back in the cupboards. But as we were away for a wedding last weekend we got to talking about what purpose would it serve for us to go away? To spend more money on dinners out? To get a little more sun? To generate a bunch of ideas only to come home with no free time to launch into any one of them? Would all we get are a few photos and then a growing to do list?

So we’ve decided that for next week, our vacation is happening at home.

As much as I’d love to go explore the world, the truth is, I think this will be best. Last year we came home wishing we could have a vacation from the vacation. We’re always chasing after more time. This year has been a crazy one, to say the least, and I for one want a simpler, slower life. I want to enjoy what is.

My belief is that change starts with giving new meaning to the rhythm of life at home instead of just wishing it into existence. When all your days spent at home are filled with stress and the fun is only on vacation somewhere far away, it’s no wonder we long to leave all the time. We want to change that. We want to create memories here. To have time to generate new ideas, to fill the creative tanks, to make art and good food, go for long bike rides just to see how far we can go before our legs give out and smell the fresh air in the woods and maybe make some progress on several long overdue home reno projects or make a batch of beer for when we finally make headway on those reno projects if they aren’t completed next week (and trust me they won’t be.) If we can’t enjoy home, then we’ll always be stuck in a rut and chasing it elsewhere and the feeling will follow us like a bad shadow. 

So instead of watching longingly at everyone else’s life, we’re about to get to work on our own. Working towards the life we really want. To invest in ourselves and our surroundings and maybe sit around the pool with a glass of wine at noon just because we can. We won’t be wishing we were anywhere else because goodness exists right here, at home.

We are both excited about the possibilities ahead of us. Good things are coming and we’re ready!

How about you? Have you ever come home from a vacation and already felt like you needed another one? Or do you have a story to tell about your own stay-cation? Would love to read about it in the comments!