Life has it’s ups and downs
– we call them squats.
Moving To An Island – Part 3
And I’ve been doing lots of squats since starting our journey (of relocating our lives and a business). But just like a fitness class, this will make you stronger- eventually – or so I hope.
One thing that helps me a lot during the uncertainty of moving, is focusing on staying ‘present’. No matter what we are going through in life, we tend to get caught up with future planning and measuring up to past successes, forgetting about the little joys we have right now.
In order to practice for real-life, reading through this article will require you to stay ‘present’. And before we get to the juicy details of my life, here’s a little challenge for you: I’ve hidden some exercises in this article. If you spot them, do ten and continue reading 😁
The Glamorous Glamping Days
We’ve been living in two places for about two years now. This situation has definitely taken a toll on us. We’ve commuted during a pandemic and extreme weather, all while keeping up our current jobs and lives. As exciting as this journey is, it’s not an easy one.
A typical month consists of working at our current location in the city for a week. Then we pack up to take two ferries to our land (which is about five hours of travel time, altogether). Once there, we try to organize our next steps and build in the evenings while attending our regular jobs during the day.
Of course, being on an island, anything is possible. You might have a flat tire, the ferry might not run, you might have deer trying to lunge in front of your car – you get it.
Even everyday tasks like cooking, takes about ten times as long as in our very comfortable apartment. Just making tea is a half-hour process!
Let me walk you through this – first, we need to get water from the well, purify it and/or boil it. Now, if we are lucky this is fairly quick, but sometimes you have to change the propane canister, which will take another ten minutes. Then, after steeping the tea, we literally have to farmers-walk to the compost to throw out the leftovers. At this point, I usually reach my 10,000 steps for the day.
I always have crazy expectations on how much work I can finish but after cooking and cleaning, half the day is over already.
It’s the little things that keep us going
To be fair – everything we do feels so much more gratifying on the island. When going to sleep at night (which is usually when the sun goes down due to sheer exhaustion), we are actually as tired as a deadbug. I never feel like that in the city. It also feels satisfying to know, that we can plant our own food, move our bodies the entire day and inchworm a little bit closer to our end-goal.
I almost get a bit teary-eyed when we go back again after about two weeks. After the initial shock of leaving the comfort of the city behind, it’s actually pretty easy to get acclimatized to a new routine and place.
Being surrounded by nature helps relax body and mind despite the harder physical work that we are facing. Spending time in nature with limited equipment, space and resources forces us to be present and find some joy in even the smallest, most tedious tasks.
Back home, we catch up on household work and everything that is falling through the cracks while we are gone.
The rest of the week just seems to fly by. And before you know it, we are back in the crunch already again.
Conclusion
Despite all of the ‘squats’ life throws at us, I wouldn’t want it any other way. I’m very grateful for everyday that I get to be on this journey. No matter where you’re at in your own life, staying ‘present’ has many benefits. Not only will you be happier, you also have the chance to observe your life situation and find ways to make it better.
But we are also realizing that commuting is not an option for too much longer. We have new plans already…
PS: How many exercises did you find? – Jessi
More in the Moving To An Island series:
- How To Relocate A Fitness Business (And Move To An Island)
- Teaching Online Classes Remotely On An Island
- 🎧 How To Move Your Bootcamp’s Location – Jessi Schlegel
Jessi Schlegel is a fitness trainer and educator. She draws from a versatile background with a degree in Sports Therapy from Germany and in-the-field business experience as co-owner of a gym in Vancouver (Canada). She currently works as a Personal Trainer, Group Class Instructor, Yoga Instructor, Holistic Nutritionist and Online Coach. With over 18 years of experience, she aims to pass on knowledge and share her passion and experiences with clients and trainers around theworld.
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