Saying goodbye is never easy.
It doesn't matter whether someone or something is the focus of the farewell, change can be difficult.
Goodbyes don't have to be easy but they can have a positive influence. They can remind us of the good times we had and how lucky we were. They can remind us how important something was.
As the author A. A. Milne once said: "How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard".
In four week's time, we're farewelling our Northern Beaches home of nearly seven years. We will embrace a change of direction. Our home will welcome the next owners. And a set of new beginnings will take shape under its sturdy roof.
This house is a basic structure of timber, bricks and mortar, but I feel it was more than that for us. Life changed in many unexpected ways in this home and we will carry precious, cherished memories with us when we leave.
Although this is a simple act of saying goodbye, it's fair to say that the feelings run much deeper.
Photo credit: Flickr Creative Commons (Emily Mucha)
This was a house of firsts for our small family.
The first home we owned in Australia. The first step up the ladder on what was (and still is) an extraordinary property market. The first time we lived near the beach. The first place we owned as husband and wife. The first time we lived in any property for longer than two years.
It was also a house of highs and lows.
We welcomed our son into the world but we said a bitter sweet goodbye to our beloved companion, Milo. I launched this blog and my writing business from the back bedroom of our home then, one morning following a violent storm, the ancient ghost gum in the back yard crashed suddenly to the ground nearly causing a catastrophe.
This was a house of routine and a steady rhythm.
Leafy green vegetables flourished out the back and we took delight in witnessing the onset of our first fruit. The seasons came and went, and we worked, renovated and socialised. We hosted friends for dinners on the deck and encouraged overseas family to spend time here.
This house was a base for the next step of our expat adventure and a launchpad from where we could embrace a uniquely Australian way of life by the water.
This was our house. Our Australian house. And a home we grew a little bit older in, as we watched our family multiply, putting roots firmly down into this ground.
It occurs to me that this house is so much more than a basic structure of timber, bricks and mortar. More than a square building with walls, a floor, roof, windows and doors.
This house is a treasure chest for our memories and secrets, a cauldron of shared moments, love and laughter, sadness and loss. This house tied us into our immediate environment. It connected us to the local area and we, in turn, connected it to a fledgling Australian dream.
With such a profound impact on our lives, the simple act of saying goodbye was never going to be easy, especially when the next steps can not truly be known.
Do you find goodbyes easy? Is it a simple act for you?
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