micheleandtom.com

The velvet rut is a beloved place. It is familiar and comfortable. You comb the rut, you brush it with one of those weird nubby suede brushes. It’s beautiful and you have worked hard to afford the best velvet possible…you feel compelled to maintain it in tip top shape. Over time, you upgrade the rut, the velvet gains some tassles…in fact, it’s so snazzy, it doesn’t really feel like a rut.

Only it is, a rut I mean.

(Nod to Fred Johnson who first coined this term to Tom and I and put us on permanent velvet rut alert!)

Yes, we are leaving our comfortable life in Portland. Yes, we are moving to a city we’ve never been to and a continent we’ve never visited. No, Tom and the girls don’t speak the language. No, we do not have a trust fund. Are we crazy? Absolutely.

So Why?

Well, I’m glad you asked. You see, we are trying to make a considered, thoughtful decision about what we want to do with the next four to five years of our lives. We want to start living like adults again, you know, where we plan our lives in a proactive fashion instead of being reactive. (For those of you without kids, you may not understand, but once you have wee ones, your whole life becomes reactive–feedings, diapers, preschool, applications for kindergarten–it’s ridiculous.) The funny thing is, once the kids get older and you don’t have to be reactive anymore, it’s such a habit, you do it anyway. Rope-a-dope, hands up, just trying to stay on your feet. So we are going to leave for a year, take stock, and make considered plans for the next four of five years that actually fulfill everyone’s needs.