The futile act of planning

I am a planner and a bit of a control-freak. I like to know exactly how my life will look like and when it is time for a change I want to do it my way and in my time. That is probably the worst part about this journey for me - the "not knowing". Having to wait and wait and wait without doing too much planning in case it still takes 2 years for baba to arrive.
The other side of the coin is also that however much planning you do in your life, life will happen, and mostly not in the way you planned.

Two months ago my husband closed his company and was effectively jobless. We planned this way and that and sat hours pondering our future and what to do with the opportunity of him having to find a new job. Back when we bought our cottage in the country the plan was always to relocate there. Having been raised in small towns and loving the platteland, we were more than keen to move there. Only problem (big problem!) is the scarcity of jobs and should you be so lucky to find one, the minute salaries on offer.

We were therefor keen on opening our own health shop and making a living that way. But even with loads of planning this did not work out for us at all! After my boss decided that I cannot work remotely from there, the owners of the premises that we were going to rent also retracted their offer as they were going to use it themselves. Still keen on seeing this thing through, we shopped around for other space, but did not find anything suitable.

After a weekend of viewing properties and speaking to the locals, we were heading back to the City, tail between the legs. We were all packed and in the car when our neighbour came running over with a newspaper. He got it from friend of his that we met the previous night and it contained an ad for a position of Manager at the retirement village. Cutting to the chase, Riaan applied and at first we did not hear anything. Then the call came and they invited him for an interview and then for another one. So as from the 1st February, my husband is the official Manager and will be earning a decent salary for the platteland!

So over the holidays we had a blast working on our little country cottage. Prettying it up and painting, unpacking all our stored belongings and making it a home. Riaan even started a vegetable garden so that we can have fresh veggies and herbs everyday. We relocated our fur-babies and they are LOVING it! We had our first Xmas in our new home and were just plain happy for the first time in a long time.

All of this comes at a price though. For the moment I am still keeping my job in the City and will be commuting home over weekends. That is until my MIL's house gets sold or I find a job in the country. But, I'm giving myself a rest and not worrying about planning anything ahead of time... for now anyway.

It is hard work exploring all of this open space!