Retreating

Whew. Sometimes life really hands you a STOP sign. Usually it happens when you have a plan in place, and are set to step out and move forward in a particular direction that you have chosen. You lift your foot, swing your leg, and just as you are ready to put your foot back down on terra firma in a new place - BAM! The unforeseen swoops down and stops you in your tracks. You THINK you know where you are going, but suddenly all of the roadsigns start pointing in every other direction than THAT one. Confusion and frustration result. We're there, my friends.

We were told many years ago that this occurrence was a test of our 'devotion'. We've learned that it is, actually, a test of our flexibility! We are most certainly devoted to and determined to pursue our goals and plans for our life and for Retreat... but the underlying mission statement of our business is that 'we will be building this business and developing it to benefit our family and help other people & families along the way'. If we can help others build small businesses doing what they love, and that can bless their lives and families, as well as contribute to a growing local economy, it fulfills a large part of our mission.

While we are planning and waiting for the 'big parts' of that plan to unfold, we've also been working out ways to take smaller steps 'in the meantime'. One was to have begun this past week... but our emergency trip to California has stopped that. Will it ever happen? Yes. We just don't know when. Ditto for the big stuff. It's a bit frustrating to be standing here staring at signs that look like that photo above: 'Turn right! No, turn left! No, go straight! STOP! GO! Yield! U turn!' All we can do is what we can do at any given moment. I know you've probably all felt that way at times, too, so you understand. Especially our generation, who are all working on balancing our own lives with being parents of adult children and parenting our aging parents.

Being in SoCal, considering whether or not this situation necessitates our relocation back here, and discussing how that would impact our life, our family, and our business, is a very heavy subject for us right now. It is not our choice to do that - to leave behind all that we have discovered, built up, and planned for in Washington. There's that concept of 'flexibility'.... are we willing to do that? Are we willing to change everything and for the time being give up our goals, our business, and life in our house on our island in Washington -  along with the very real chance that we may never get the opportunity again? Or are we willing to work harder to find a solution that will benefit everyone, and not cost us what we have worked so hard for up to this point? Our choice is the latter, but we may need to be willing to be flexible.

We are watching the roadsigns and listening for guidance so that we make wise and workable choices. I guess you could think of it as our Universal 'Garmin', whispering directions in our ear as we travel this road...