One spring day in early 2018, when we lived blissfully in an undisclosed bungalow in Miami, FL, Jaime had an idea. He envisioned us starting a new life in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. The idea initially took me by surprise, but we had both been craving a big change. It was a tough decision, maybe even the most serious one we made as a couple, but we did it.
It took us one month to rearrange our lives, pack our things, say goodbye to all our best friends and family in tears over way too many beers, rent our apartment and move to Asheville, NC. They say change happens in an instant– it’s the time it takes us to commit that can take months or years. We never fully understood that distinction until our move. It took us three years to debate and decide to move and only 30 days to actually do it– 2 months before our wedding in Spain. Because apparently, we appreciate a challenge.
WHY
Why leave Miami as it’s undergoing what is arguably its best change, a city filled with opportunity and most importantly, home to all our best friends. The answer to that is best described as a nagging little voice inside of me whispering for years to go away. At some points, it was more pronounced and my body ached to get in the car and begin driving… go anywhere, it said. Leave.
It wasn’t a dislike for Miami but an answering to something deep and unexplainable. I used to travel blog quite a bit and I tied my identity to moving around and discovering the world. I used it as an explanation for this voice that never went away. I’m not sure that’s the case anymore. Honestly, who doesn’t like to travel? It seems a lackluster way to characterize self interests much the same way “liking music” is. Oh really, you like music? The universally beloved sounds that bind entire cultures and civilizations together? Bless your heart, you are a unique snowflake.
I won’t bore you with that unoriginal answer. This voice had something different in mind than traveling, it was a voice begging me to start over. It challenged me to leave what was familiar in search of creating something new. And I followed it at the request of my husband.
NEW BEGINNINGS
When we were already deep in our apartment searching, I read that the Smoky Mountains are known as the mountains of new beginnings. Now, I’m a sucker for symbolism–– even something as trite as the little tag on my Yogi Tea. Oh this says to listen to myself, I’ll read aloud to my husband. And it will actually make that tea taste better even though I know some intern at Yogi Tea Inc. probably came up with it.
But, Cris, how can you be this logical and still believe randomly appointed meanings? I believe messages find their way to you when you need them because you create it. It’s less about the source and more about why this particular message jumps out at you.
It’s the same principle behind someone never noticing a type of object yet once they’re aware of it they see it everywhere. The point I’m making is, if it stands out to you, listen. You are trying to find answers and your mind is so smart it’s looking for symbols that will bring it to your attention. Do you need a new beginning, perhaps? Welcome to the mountains of change.
LIFESTYLE
I borderline hate this word for how it’s been prostituted. But, really, it’s a neutral word that explains one of the main reasons we moved to North Carolina. My husband and I wanted to be in the mountains. We wanted to live among these celestial rock bodies that have stood proudly for centuries accruing all the wisdom of nature. We wanted to swap the beach and its forever summer for seasonal living in the wilderness.
I want to hike, get cold in the winter, buy a home and create a business. I want the peace to write my book and finish. I want something different and real. Being here affords us the perfect set up to do these things with less distractions and hurtles than Miami. And there is something that happens here for me creatively that I can’t quite put into words. I’m not entirely sure if it’s the lack of distraction, the surroundings of nature–– or both. But when I’m here it brings out the best in me.
Moving here was just as much an inexplainable attraction as it was a logical decision based on how we want to live.
FUTURE DREAMING
Where do I begin? Will you dream with me a little? I want to wake up to the perfect coffee moment overlooking the Smoky Mountains. If you’ve ever seen them emit the white fog they are known for, it’s a daily miracle. I want to have the luxury to spend my time working on what I want to work on without the pressure of money or lack. I want peace, intuition, joy and the type of connection that comes with getting away and interacting with the natural world around you.
It may have been one of the scariest things we’ve done, but it’s also been one of the most exciting times in our lives filled with all the promise of a life we never thought could be possible for us.