Photo credit – Michael Ramey via unsplash.com

What happens when you try something new? Is it like stepping out on the skinny branches of the tree of life? Do you wobble and fall? Is there a rush of adrenalin or an anxiety attack? It’s all part of the journey, right? Well we’re about to start ours!

As you read this, we may be walking through the open door, loading luggage into the airport departures area, or queuing at customs. Japan awaits. Here we come.

Recent days have seen us working steadily through our lists – his and hers – two “contrôleurs” at work! Those lists were daunting and our efforts constant so the satisfaction of ticking off the last items was heart-felt. And as the lists dropped away, we started to entertain the possibilities that lay ahead. Time to relax and let the excitement seep in.

Hesitation increases in relation to risk in equal proportion to age.
~ Ernest Hemingway

At the same time, there are other ideas that enter our minds. Friends recently suggest that this short-term assignment in Japan, could be stressful. I suppose it could. Others have questioned why we want to do this, going from winter to winter. And there are those who question the jobs we have and the pay we’ll receive with looks that indicate a lack of comprehension. Some of these expressions of concern are from older folk. Some not.

Our aim is to try. To “suck it and see”. Give it a go. See if it is for us, if it could be for us longer-term. So to the sceptics I smile and thank them for their concern, secretly knowing it will provide many good stories for them to regale.

The important thing for us is that we are doing this – working towards a dream, and a lifestyle goal. It’s a mindset thing. It’s about enjoying the ride of life, not watching unrealised possibilities pass us by.

Better an “oops …” than a “what if …”
~ Beau Taplin

For those who would like to enjoy the journey with us, you can – vicariously through this blog. I will make regular posts on the challenges, joys and experiences that make up our time.