Two years ago, our family took a leap of faith. We packed up our little South Miami home, and we moved to a farm in the Redlands. We decided that I would stay at home with the kids and that they would run wild on 10 acres–magical, right? Little did we know that the days here are long, they are trying, and they are oh so exhausting. But they’re also full of hope, wonder, and awe. I now see all of this through the eyes of my little ones who get to grow up here–magic! These days, we dig and get dirt underneath our fingernails, we deconstruct and we reconstruct, we feed, we clean, and we’re surrounded by animals, plants, and plans.
Really big plans.
Our family made big changes in order to make this lifestyle happen. We dreamt that one day we would live on a farm and live a simpler, slower-paced life. And just like that, one day out of the blue, it became a possibility for us. It was completely the wrong time in our lives to do this, but this wasn’t the type of opportunity you just pass up. At the time, I made massive sacrifices and was thrown completely out of my comfort zone. From one moment to the next, I was leaving the teaching career that I really, really loved, left my quaint little home and amazing neighborhood, pulled my son out of the most perfect school, and I found myself overwhelmed and just trying to keep my head above water.
Change is hard.
Although I am a firm believer that changes are good and necessary, I also acknowledge that they are hard. That year was an exceedingly difficult year for me–struggling with so many unknowns and accepting that what we signed up for was not actually our reality–yet. I saw some really dark days. Before the pandemic hit at the beginning of 2020, I toasted to a fresh start on our new beginning and that is exactly what we got in a very unexpected way. I was forced to slow down and make changes in order to move forward.
When Covid hit in March, forcing us to take a step back, I took it as an opportunity to snap out of it, regroup, and push forward with our plans for this beautiful life we get to create here. We thought that moving here would come naturally for us and in turn, slow us down. But from the moment we arrived, it was non-stop, to the point that I became crippled with anxieties and fears. It wasn’t supposed to be that way. I took this time where the world was at a complete stop, and I re-envisioned and created new plans that were tangible, one project at a time.
I also found myself pregnant with Eloise which made me slow down even further – funny how things tend to work out. Looking back, I can now say with confidence that I am exactly where I need to be–mentally and physically. We have so many dreams for this farm, for our family, and for the community.
