Carpe Diem which is possibly the only bit of Latin I know means to seize the day.
Seizing the day had become a rich way to describe how we have begun to live since making the decision to sell all and buy Argos.
For the most part we understand seizing the day to be about making the most of the opportunities that lie before us. Not being afraid to take a risk. Setting out. Having a go. But we have also come to see that seizing the day is somewhat like the idea of living in the moment and this is another aspect of the life we live.
Right at the moment we are living a stopped moment while we are trying to get some dollars back into the bank, fix things that have broken along the way and prepare the yacht for further travels.
This Batemans Bay moment has become for us a moment of community. A people-focussed moment, a moment of connection. And we are embracing it!
We had a few friends here in Batemans Bay before we arrived and when we were sailing in we let them know we were coming. They are old friends of mine from Canberra. Others were here too that we weren’t aware of. Batemans Bay is a great place to retire to and several friends have found their way here it seems. Friends of these original friends knew Peter’s parents, had highly regarded them and as soon as they set eyes on Peter declared that he must surely be a ‘Watt’! We were astounded and delighted. Our little network of friends was growing by the day!
We began to go to church with these friends and have grown our circle of friendship more and grown our connections to the town at the same time. We are feeling like locals. Each day we have various things on, we go out to enjoy coffee at the Olive Tree, run by new friends Steve and Chrissy (who knew Peter’s parents), or I go to my book club – I’ve always wanted to be a part of a book club but never had the time. Now I get to share one of my greatest passions with a group of like-minded people and I am just loving it!
Our connection is growing and strengthening with each day and each friend we make. We have friends from the Olive Tree, from the church, from the book club. Every day the threads of connection strengthen as we share and grow as new relationships are built and developed.
Last weekend we found ourselves at a large gathering for one of our new friend’s birthdays. It was lovely to be sitting with so many people, most of whom we didn’t know a month ago, and to be sharing in a special event. It was made even more special as the children of the woman announced to her that in addition to this being a birthday gathering it was also an opportunity to present her and her husband with a cheque to help them buy a new car. Theirs had passed on just recently and they didn’t quite know how they were going to replace it. Everyone had chipped in and enough had been gathered. The couple were speechless (an unusual thing we were told!) when they saw the generosity of their friends. It was precious and delightful to have been able to be a part of that!
After several months of travelling this is something we are savouring.
There are moments when we look out to sea and long to be on our way again, especially when we are talking about heading over to Lord Howe Island or somewhere else amazing and while we know we will get there when we are ready, of course there are moments of impatience when we wish the time we could leave was sooner than it’s going to be! But we are doing ok. We have begun to get some money flowing. I seem to have picked up a little work in the café restaurant, Monet. I have had a couple of trial days and hope to be on the roster soon. Peter has been helping some of our new friends with bits and pieces they needed doing and has a few jobs in the pipeline here at the marina.
We are embracing the moment we are in – taking some time to really enjoy Batemans Bay, which turns out to be a great place for us right now. A home. A community of friends. A place to ready ourselves for whatever is to come next. Whenever that is!