I believe forward momentum is one of the most powerful forces in creating a full life. And, in the empty nest years, I believe it’s important to be intentional about building it. That’s why David and I are packing up life as we currently know it, heading to Spain and, potentially, starting a whole new lifestyle.

Taking a packing break to imagine the possibilities!

The spark was a recent news article about how AirBnB is offering unbeatable deals for travelers willing to stay in locations for over 30 days, to encourage post-pandemic tourism. David and I quickly realized that if we gave up our posh downtown apartment in Raleigh, keeping only our South Carolina beach cottage, a whole new world of possibilities would open to us - quite literally! We’ll continue to work remotely, as we’ve done since early 2020 - but from here into the foreseeable future, we’ll be a bit more “remote” for part of the year!

We’re leaving Raleigh (where we’ve lived for 30 years), to try out this new life paradigm in Barcelona, Spain. After a month-long test run, we’ll relocate to our little beach house in Kiawah, South Carolina, which will become our only residence stateside for the foreseeable future. We have a tentative plan to toggle back and forth between Kiawah and working from TBD cities around the world. It’s the newest “new start” in our life journey together!

Back when life revolved around these cuties!

When your kids are small, forward momentum and new starts are built into life’s DNA: all the baby “firsts”, the annual Fall back-to-school rituals, first dates, high school jobs, proms, college applications, move-ins and finally, the college graduations. The new starts wash over those years like waves on the beach and push you forward with a momentum all their own.

I believe that the transition to empty nesting is a key moment when life hands you back the reins for creating your own forward momentum, and it’s critical to steward that moment wisely.

Empty nesting is a time to celebrate us!

For David and me, it’s important that we lean into our spirit of adventure and prioritize experiences over things. We started preparing during our girls’ college years, when we made the decision to downsize from a 5 bedroom suburban home to a 1-bedroom downtown apartment, even though at that point our kids were still only semi-launched.

The new start was an adjustment for us all - our girls definitely missed coming home to their familiar digs. However, they also quickly caught on to this alternative vision of what life could be - joining us in our new urban setting and experiencing everything that’s possible when you choose to live lighter. This new lifestyle freed us up logistically and financially to take some amazing family trips during their college breaks - to Iceland, Europe, Morocco and other places. The concept of “home” became less about a place, and more about our family of five discovering new adventures together.

When the pandemic hit, it was time for another new start - and another re-evaluation of our lifestyle. Travel was curtailed and like many people, we were drawn to the idea of once again having a place of our own, away from the city, where we could settle in, and wait things out. We bought a little fixer-upper at Kiawah Island, where our family had vacationed all the years our kids were growing up. It felt right…creating a cozy haven in a beloved spot just as the world was keening in uncertainty. Our sweet little beach cottage became the new family focus - and an adventure in its own right! It had stood empty for 2 years and needed lots of love, which we were ready to give it. We worked shoulder-to-shoulder, traveling back and forth from Raleigh to Kiawah Island on the weekends to tear out old carpet and kitchen cabinets, haul insulation and cut down overgrown shrubbery -all while our family worked and studied online. In some ways, I think the fact that we hadn’t had a house for the previous 4 years made it feel more special to once again gather in a place that was exclusively our own. It was another new beginning for us: creating a shared vision with power tools, sweat equity and the promise of sand beneath our feet and fresh air in our lungs at the end of each day.

Now that the world has opened back up, David and I are ready to pay it a visit. The past crazy year has taught us a lot, and up-ended assumptions about how and where we live and earn our way in the world. For web-based service providers like us, the new reality of virtual meetings and digital deliverables has splashed cold water in the face of a traditional 9-5 job performed within the same 4 walls of an office space that was chosen by someone else. My 45 minute, twice-a-day commute vaporized. The untethering nudged me to leave my job altogether and launch a new business venture with a like-minded friend - once again, a new start!

David and I are very fortunate to have jobs that can be performed mostly online, and I respectfully acknowledge that many people do important work that demands more structure and physical presence. But for us, the return to our pre-2020 lifestyle is optional, our kids are launched, and we’re taking our shot at doing life differently!

Whether or not it works out, I’m proud of us for making the pivot. We could have adopted the easier and more conventional course, kept our Raleigh apartment and all the familiar and practical conveniences of continuing life and work in the lovely city we’ve called home for most of our adult lives. Beyond the fact that our businesses and clients are in NC, there are lots of reasons to be here, and lots of unknowns ahead of us as we choose to pack up our lives and globetrot - at least for awhile.

I think we’ll love the challenges and adventures that await us in Spain and wherever else we roam. I suppose there’s a chance that we won’t - or that it just won’t work out with everything else we’re juggling professionally. But we’ll never know if we don’t try! Starting new chapters with intention, an open mind and a nimble spirit - these are the things that make the future winsome. They keep life interesting, and they keep us growing as humans. It’s the forward momentum that pries us out of our comfort zone and pulls us toward new adventures. May we never, ever stop starting!