This year, we moved twice. In two different countries. In a span of six months. Yes you read that right. I can safely say, this has been
the most stressful period of our lives.
This move came on the back of a few health scares too, and
we were all recovering when we realised we may have to move.
My first reaction when my husband Amrit told me about this
opportunity in the US was NO WAY!
We had just moved to Singapore from Malaysia, and our bags weren’t
even fully unpacked. Every cell in my
body and mind was screaming NO! NO! NO!
A million thoughts were racing through our minds. Were we
unsettling the children too much? Were we being too reckless? The US seemed so
far away and alien. Singapore was still closer to home ground.
The children were barely settled in their schools in
Singapore, and it was time to uproot them again.
I hadn't been in Singapore long enough to give myself
stability, and just didn’t feel like moving again.
But of course we decided to move. And we are here now!
Looking back, I can view this period with amazement, and awe. Not because we
actually pulled it off. Anyone can.
But because, we found out that there are many things we are
capable of. And we don’t realise them until we are put from the frying pan into
the fire.
My way of centering myself through this maze was to simply
take things one day at a time. Each day
that I was in Singapore, I told myself. This is home. This is where I am today,
and I am safe, and happy. And that’s all that matters.
This rubbed off on the kids too, and although they knew
about the move, they did not let it affect their daily lives.
A lot of well-meaning people asked us questions. Why did you move from Malaysia to Singapore
if you had to move to the US? We learnt to not let that affect us. I would be
lying if it didn’t.
The lens of gratitude helped us here. I became so grateful
for a chance to live, and see Singapore because it truly is an amazing country.
We loved our home there, and were so grateful for this short stay. That helped
us not to keep going back and re-visiting the decisions of the past!
From hotel rooms to service apartments, and packing to
unpacking and then packing again! It has been an adventure to say the least.
But one thing remained constant. The fact that home was where the four of us
were together. We were in this together, on the road, at our worst sometimes,
or even at our best!
We are here now, and far from settled. But we are getting
there, one day at a time. And I often get asked, “How do you look so much at
peace? In the chaos of moving? “
Yes, there is chaos, and yet there is peace.
Chaos comes from movement, peace comes from acceptance.
Yes, there is stress, and yet there is gratitude
Stress due to new environment, and gratitude for all our
experiences...
Yes, there is change, and yet there is a new beginning
A BIG change for all of us, but also a chance for a new
beginning...
Yes, there is exhaustion, and yet there is exhilaration...
Exhaustion both physical and mental, yet exhilaration for
the beauty that we get to see...
And finally,
Yes there is movement, and therefore there is growth...
We may have simply moved continents, but we have conquered many
mountains in our mind!
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