As I am going through all the pictures and videos of the past five months, preparing little x-mas presents for our friends and family, I cannot but feel overflowing with abundance and gratitude. Sure, leaving a settled life in Sydney behind, and starting a new, more nomadic and adventurous one with only 100 kg of luggage for the four of us, has had its challenges and moments. But overall, I cannot grasp how happy I am to be living this dream. And when you give it the best shot you can, things come your way. The kind friends who’ve let us warm our feet near their cozy chimney over the past weeks, while we have been waiting and the temperature dropping, is just one example.

Today’s morning walk with my boys through the barren winter landscape of South East England reminded my how similar we are to trees, in some ways. Most have shed their colourful leaves and endure winter in their most basic dress, awaiting to refill their branches and trunks with new greens when spring arrives. Maybe this is necessary for humans also, to live through a winter every now and then, cleanse ourselves of old stuff so that we can flourish again. Water and air both get stale if there is no flow, and so does Prana, our life energy.

I always find it hard leaving places and people behind, but I am utterly in love with discovering new ones, or even rediscovering ones I have not seen for a while. At this point in our voyage, we have lived through our winter, shedding everything we had and knew, to allow for our dream to blossom with the first breath of spring. Not without challenges, yet life feels good, pure, simple and I am grateful.