Tomorrow marks the first day for our family of a return to routine, of a little of the life we had before COVID 19. We only just moved to Melbourne at the end of December 2019. The kids began their school year in February and by mid-March I was pulling them out of clubs and school to stay home, to stay safe. We hardly got a chance to know our new city, to make friends and to feel settled. In a way, it was easier to not know anyone and to not have strong connections – we had nothing to miss. We had the privilege of reconnecting with our family unit, to recharge our batteries, and to figure out what matters most. All the important things lost to a hectic lifestyle overwhelmed by routine and over scheduling.
We walked, ran, cycled and hiked.
We homeschooled.
We played board games, Dungeons and Dragons, and put many puzzles together.
We created together.
We celebrated birthdays, holidays and made up our own parties.
We cooked and dived deep into foreign culture. Over the course of 10 weeks we studied foods and general knowledge of 70 countries. If you cant travel, live like you are.
We danced, practiced archery, trampolined, practiced hairstyles, Skyped with friends and played a lot of video games.
We had spas days and lit bonfires to toast marshmallows.
Tomorrow is the beginning of our next chapter here. I don’t feel quite ready to part with this life of leisure and peace. I’m a bit sad really. It’s so odd to me when I hear people who long to go back to the way things were. It’s like they are speaking a foreign language. I spend some part of most everyday pondering how I will incorporate what I’ve learnt, how to practice a slower pace, in the real world. I don’t have the answer. What I’ve allowed myself is to say no to things that don’t suit me anymore. Fingers crossed I can enforce it when the everyday choices arise. From now on when I question if I’m offering my children all the experiences that (I think) they deserve to have, I will have to weigh out that I’m not selling my own happiness and peace of mind short.
Five Abroad 
Beautiful post. You all did – and do – such interesting things. We were saying that the CoVid self-isolating is taking what happens when travelling and putting it into practice. Trying not to get on each other’s nerves, not letting others get on your nerves, working together as a team, learning more about one another and yourself, researching, planning,… Good luck in the real world! You can do it!
That is so true! Going with the flow, having patience, staying present – all things we do whilst travelling. Thanks for taking the time to comment. I will survive. I just hope to do it and stay sane. Haha!