A Preview: Of Things to Come

This series of posts follows Fi and her family as they plan a 6 month family getaway to Uluwatu, Bali. If you want to know more or catch up on previous entries, visit the first post in the series here: Family Tropical Adventure in Bali.

Guest post by Fiona from Destination Bali

A little holiday

We got a preview of what life will be like in our 6 month family getaway to Bali next year.  Our family has just returned home from our school holiday adventures.  We spent a week with a group of families at The Basin, which is isolated from convenience. We cooked and lived together, doing the same things we do at home, but it was a lot more social. For the first time, in as long as I can remember, I had moments to observe my kids.  I had time to admire their strength and endurance over our many adventures. For example there was the self-organised kayak trips in choppy weather (really tested my ability to let go), bush walks in difficult terrain, 5 days of cold showers and the ability to start a game with friends with just a rock. There were many games of chess when the weather was too wild, and boy was it wild at times.  It was a great preview of what we are looking forward to.

A small worry

I am still slightly apprehensive about the financial implications of our trip to Bali; that really is my only negative.  In my stillest moments, I wonder if my attitude is one of letting go and living, or am I not taking our financial future seriously enough?  Feel free to switch off, tune out, or be amused by the rollercoaster that I am completely surprised by. 

A realisation

The anticipation of our trip to Bali, and the downtime I’ve recently experienced over this school holiday break, makes me realise what is really great. For me, it’s enjoying the company of my family, keeping it simple and generally having a great time.

A reality check

I’m back now in our little blue house, warm once more (at one point, we couldn’t get any wetter!).  The mail needs to be sorted, and thankfully a lot of orders have come through for my Fiona Kate business. The reality has set back in. I’ll put off grocery shopping for a week and get really creative with what is in the cupboard. The blog and the journey are jumping around, I know. The now seems more noteworthy (to me) than I thought it would be.  Maybe you savour the things you miss when you’re busy.  Like conversations that don’t start with “Can you” and “Have you”. And slower times when I can concentrate one thing at a time instead of wrapping sandwiches, looking for a lost shoe, thinking about a business meeting, a change of clothes for gymnastics and whether we have any vegetables for the salad…

Read the other posts in this series (in order):

1. Family Tropical Adventure in Bali

2. A Walk: 6 Months on a Tropical Island

3. A Tree: The Journey Begins

4. A Place: The How and The Why

5. A Scare: The Highs and the Lows

6. A Drama: Lemonade from Lemons

7. A Mistake: Why not easily fixed?