DutchInLaw

Something that is not a full-fledged reality (yet) : children. The timing has been weighing on my mind, so this is a good moment to wonder through some thoughts. I think I've gotten over the 'Yikes! Three years in one place!' reactions about stability as far as a country is concerned. That was a good building block. Also, God and i have had some really good talks about motivations (right, wrong, and iffy) for having kids. I am now more aware of why I shouldn't want children: because I'm bored, or because I want more purpose in my life. I shouldn't want them just because they would open doors to making friends in our neighborhood and overseas, or so I instant get an identity that lets me connect with other moms and can 'belong' to a group. Or because I think I'd be a great mom and could produce perfectly-behaved, impressive offspring. Those reasons could be side effects, but not the main purpose, or there could be trouble. I am more certain of...

spending an hour on pinterest/stickies planning storage solutions in our new home. looking at several pretty houses and realising suddenly how distasteful i find all that *stuff*. no matter how beautiful or well stored. i'm definitely becoming more minimal - these months of moving, cleaning, and traveling worked well together. this last move went pretty well, all in all, but there was definitely stress. besides finding and renting a house, and getting all the utilities and paperwork figured out, there was stress to get all our stuff packed. i do not want to do that again.  at least not the 'all our stuff' bit. there will always be some stress related to moving. it's pretty much unavoidable. what is avoidable is having 'all our stuff' to pack. when i moved usa- poland, poland-usa, and usa-netherlands, i took two duffels, a backpack with me, and shipped two boxes of books/notebooks. all my necessary stuff - clothes, toiletries, books + notebooks, co...

Week #1 Challenge: Create a list of everything that went “right” in 2011 What energised you?     Photography! The warmth and photo ops in Spain, a family getaway in the Dutch woods and misty light, a kids' camp in Rotterdam and lots of happy multicultural faces. Dutch festivals in our region  - orange flags and boats with banners and yummy treats! What made you feel at peace?     Quiet evenings at home with D or taking walks through the woods with him and enjoying being married. Beautiful music at church and time to reflect. A good friend from PL visiting in December and helping us decorate our house for Christmas in between good talks. The moments of calm and hugs after times of crying about culture shock and isolation. What positive people lifted you up?     My family-in-law, with cheek kisses (though they eventually hugged me back :) ) and encouragement that my language learning was coming along and that D's and my house was a comfortable p...

The rethinking life part is right on. At the moment, I'm actually on vacation, in someone else's home. It's easier to rethink my life with some distance from daily habits and plans, I find. Normally, I make plans and think of new ideas... then promptly get distracted by work, plans, and people. Here, I help tidy up, and have good conversations, and have so much more mental space to wonder about who I want to be and what I want my life to look like. I've also thoroughly enjoyed spending hours cleaning out my photo collection (three years of travelling and living in Europe = more than 20,000 high-resolution photos) and reading blogs (especially zenhabits  and  lovingsimpleliving .) The last few months have been full of travelling, work (at multiple part time jobs) and then moving house, so the peace here is fantastic. Along with all the inspiration to simplify life, I found a cool challenge on homelifesimplified - 52 Weeks To Simplify Your Life. The challenge is suppo...

October 2012 1 Cor 7:29-32a    What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not; those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away. I would like you to be free from concern....  i like this. and it makes sense in an underlying way, dovetailing with what i've been reading about minimalism while dejunking and packing to move. it's not about throwing all your stuff in the dumpster - it's about being as free as possible to serve God and others. i'm loving the chance to re-evaluate my life and priorities along with choosing a new house. i like change in general, and really like moving, and then the (semi)forced thinking is a favourite as well. this house is big enough for me to keep *everyt...