Here’s where we start. June 18, 2022.
After an unexpected two weeks of extra waiting we were officially moved out of our apartment and were ready to go! Our summer stay would be on rural farmland in Bridport, VT.
I have to say, I don’t really remember the drive there. At that time Billy was driving the RV while I drove my car, anxiously checking the rearview to make sure he was still behind me.
Vermont country roads are narrow and curvy. Winding around mountains and through valleys. What Billy describes as “treacherous” with only two lane roads and no shoulder. I’m sure he was white knuckling it the whole time.
We arrived to the farm in-between rain and strong wind. Our host assured us that the weather “usually isn’t like this”. But it was beautiful.
I will always remember how I felt that first night and waking up to our new life the next day. The windows were open with a cross breeze blowing across our pillows. And it was quiet.
I mean quiet.
Sure there were the sounds of nature and animals, but that’s it. No beeping of a city bus as it lowered its steps to greet passengers, no helicopters, no random thuds/living noises of our downstairs neighbors.
I felt like I could breathe deeper than I had in months. My mind felt clear. I felt relieved.
The next morning, I stepped outside to feel the sun on my face, greeted by a large bright green grassy field and ducks in a small pond. Again, I felt completely at peace and I knew we had made the right decision.
A Little Bit of Backstory
Of course, we didn’t just show up on some random farm. We came with a plan. We were staying on a working hog farm, the owner of which Billy knew from his butchering days. Billy got right to work caring for the pigs and sheep and learning how to be a farmhand. I went into town to brush off my barista skills and start work at Otter Creek Bakery. (If you are ever in Middlebury, VT you gotta go!)
New home, New jobs, New routines.
We made a choice to start over. Describing our plans to people before we left Massachusetts made me feel a bit foolish. It felt stupid for us both to leave our full time, reliable jobs. We both had leadership roles and were making the most money we’d ever had before.
But something needed to change. If you’re droning on each day without happiness then what’s the point? We were both physically burnt out, but for me it was also an emotional burnout. I just couldn’t carry everyone else’s emotions anymore. I knew I had to heal myself.
The good news was that we didn’t really have anything holding us down. If we could find a way to make money, then we could make this new lifestyle work.
We’re hard workers, but the whole “live to work” mentality just doesn’t fit. I need to experience new things to feel alive and when I find myself in the same routine for months (and years) at a time I lose my luster.
I used to fear change because I couldn’t predict what would happen after. But, in reality change is just about the only thing you can predict. That’s one of the biggest things I learned from going to therapy. I learned how to envision different scenarios and be able to flow with whatever reality unfolded.
There’s so much more to share about these first few months of RV life. New routines, on the spot repairs, decompression, and a few side adventures.
Stay tuned for part 2 (maybe even 3?).
Gratitude
Thank you to Meaghan and Peter, our former Cambridge neighbors, who let us crash in their driveway as we moved into the RV. And also for letting Billy store his motorcycle until we got a little settled.
Thank you to Denise, our Cambridge landlord, for letting us stay an extra 2 weeks in our old apartment and not kicking us to the curb.
Thank you to both sets of parents for being supportive and excited for us and not telling us we’re crazy. 😁