#20 Housesitting at Christmas time!

Some reflections popping up…

When you’re living in a campervan it’s great to have a temporary break and be at one place for a while. Thats why we love to housesit!

We get to Cuddle animals, spread out our stuff, tidy and clean our home on wheels, just great!

Our pace of life is a bit more relaxed now, we don’t have to check where we will sleep the next day, no looking for water, a place to empty the toilet, no travelling and we can shower whenever we want! Heaven for two weeks. Apparently a lot of time goes into this stuff and you don’t really notice it 😉

In this time of year, I usually get a bit melancholic. I think and reflect on life more than usual.  And when I am not in the travel flow (because of the housesit), I have even more time to think. So that doubles the ‘thinking-time’!

Thinking about our lives, what’s best for the kids, how big or small our footprint is, the world in general, how our food is produced, how our planet is suffering, why I still can’t fully enjoy everything without a ‘To Do list’ in my head and why it’s still difficult to just BE in the moment and relax.

You see? For me there’s lots to think about 😉 At moments it makes me feel a bit sad and hopeless. About the state of the planet ánd about the state of me. Haha!

Sure, when we travel I usually feel happy. We get to see all the beautifulness of the world, the kind people, the good food, meet nice fellow travellers.

But we also get to see the ‘other side’ way more while traveling and think more about how society works and our place in it. The garbage everywhere, how many poor and homeless people there are, how animals ‘live’ in other countries, how far we are from organic food being the standard, how much plastic we use, pollute the world and focus on our own short term goals and let’s put the financial systems of modern society on top of that. You know what I mean, right?

I think, when you live in a house, have a busy job, kids, parties, sports etc.,  it can be much easier to look the other way. Even subconscious. Just deny or ignore all problems of the world and live in your happy (or should I say ‘busy’?) bubble. People get caught up in living, in making a living, day to day shit. I know this is for sure not true for everybody but for a lot of people I think it is. Everybody is just so busy keeping everything going. Haha, I know how it is and still find it difficult to let go off, even though I want to. Design my own life and be more aware and act where I can, but at the same time be relaxed. Maybe I just need to keep on practising. 😉

 

When you are ‘living on the road’, the world is much more in your face. Sure you can still just drive your van from one nice beach to another, have fun with other travelers and leave it with that.

But I can’t really do that.

For 2 reasons.

If I know more stuff (let’s say for example know about how cheese is made and how baby cows are seperated from their mothers and cry for a long time) then I can’t ‘unknow’ that. So I can eat cheese and try to enjoy it (because I do love it!) but my mind knows things about this cheese. And there are lots of topics like this. A lot.

The other thing is, I have the idea of ‘work hard and then work a bit more and only then you deserve it’ in my mind andeven bones. And it’s kind of hard to get rid of this!

Just chilling and being, My God. Never thought it would be so hard! There is ALWAYS this little voice in my head…. Is it ok to sit and relax? Shouldn’t you work harder on your online bussiness?

I can tell you that starting an online bussiness is not a piece of cake! It calls for lots of confidence, trust and patience…not necessary my best qualities 😉

Who would believe that in all these months we have been away I have read only 3 books and almost never skipped a night of work? Not that I was very productive each and every night, but at least I could tell myself, hey I worked! No need to feel guilty 😉

Why is it so difficult to just trust and follow the road ahead?

 

When we lived in a house and we had a ‘normal’ job it was much easier. After work you deserve a break right? So sitting on the couch watching something ‘entertaining’ was much easier back then 😉 and work and private life were more separated.

I hope we can teach our kids how to find the balance between work and chill time more easily. And that they don’t have to deserve time to relax. That it is already OK. You see I am learning already! 😉

If we would travel on savings, without having to work, it would be easier maybe. Then, after a sometimes exhausting day with 2 kids who are jumping around (and yes fighting and nagging too) we could just sit and read a book.

 

But hey, I am not complaining! Just learning as we go along. Trying to get better at finding the balance. Not beating myself up about not being able to enjoy a saunanight (with woodstove, so great!) with swimming pool under the fullmoon for 100%. Always those thoughts in my head…

I still love our every day life a lot. Most of the days! 😉

Wouldn’t want to trade it for anything. Well a babysitter for one night maybe, Haha!

 

Just trying to give you a look into our ‘longterm travel and work in a campervan with kids’ life. And moreover, into my crazy head. 😉

 

So back to housesitting and having time to think about ‘world issues’ and if I am ‘doing enough’ around Christmas.

Maybe it’s extra hard, doing this housesit now, because of my gloomy ‘final days of the year state’, but it also couldn’t be more perfect!

 

Doing our morning round with the kids, feeding all the animals, picking fruit and nuts from the trees, enjoying being in a house for a Christmas, just cocooning, having a shower and a washing machine, being surrounded by beautiful and quiet nature. I can feel myself relax a bit more already…Whaaat? Did I just say that?

One look at the 2 playing dogs and I immediately get into ‘the moment’. Just seeing them having fun. So worry free and enjoying life to the fullest! So these animal are going to be my zenmasters while we are here. 🙂

Cuddling and worrying don’t go together very well! <3

How is your work/life balance? And how do you cope with ‘world’s misery’? Do you have to deserve things first for yourselve? Haha, hope not!

Love to hear it!

 

Now I go into my Christmas Bubble for a few days. Zennnnnnn 😉

Love, Inge