At sixty-six I am deliberately tossing myself into an unknown environment, just to see what happens. It may work and it may not, we’ll have to see…
In four days I turn sixty-six and can barely believe it. I know how fortunate I am to be able to say that, in relative health and with sufficient resources to live a comfortable, if not grand, life. On my birthday, I will take ownership of a new (old) house in a town I’ve only visited once and where I know no-one.
Three years ago, I moved from an inner city apartment in Brisbane to the small town where I grew up in order to care for my 89 year old parents. In addition, just after I moved there, my brother, who lives in the same area, sustained severe injuries and spent eighteen months in rehabilitation in the city. So, supporting him and his wife and our family during this difficult time became an important addition to my commitments back home.
My former career in the helping professions and as a bureaucrat provided a very useful skill set for advocating and negotiating on my brother’s behalf with health and rehabilitation professionals and NDIS, newly rolled out in the local region.
My parents died a year ago, within ten days of each other. My brother and his wife are now back on their farm, in a home modified to allow him to live his best life after such catastrophic injuries.
So, I’m moving on, but not exactly to my previous life. Like all transitions, this one has changed me and taught me much. The person who came home three years ago was not the person who left thirty-six years before and now the person moving on is different again. I’m not ready to move back into an apartment, with my trusty dog Ned. I’ve bought a home in a river town (like my home town but larger) in Northern NSW. It provides space, quiet, and a garden, which I’ve delighted in in the last three years. An hour and a half’s drive from Brisbane, it is also close enough for me to enjoy what the city has to offer that country town living can’t.
In the last three years, I have: moved states, leaving my son and close friends; absorbed myself in a caring role; lost 2 parents; bought, renovated and now sold a home; sold the home I inherited; bought another home in a new town; rediscovered family and older friends, and made a couple of interesting new ones.
All good. Now to see what the next stage offers….