So what happened?
That's a question I've been asked a lot since leaving Vermont, and quite frankly I am still in the process of understanding the answer myself.
The situation is very personal, and not one I want to discuss in depth here, but for a number of reasons I just wasn't happy in Vermont. I jumped head first into the adventure, and truly loved gardening, working on the house, and running my Etsy shop full time, but there were other factors at play that weren't so great, to say the least. Ultimately, the situation was unsustainable for me, so I made my own happiness a priority and left. I beat myself up over it for a time, but I'm learning to let go and find peace around the situation.
Being back in Boston has felt like coming up for air. With each passing day my heart swells a little more with happiness and gratitude for this place. I missed it all so achingly much, especially the people. Time with friends has been a strong medicine. Heck, just being around people again is fantastic. I'm typically a shy person, but during my first weeks back I found myself joking with strangers on the street and laughing with checkout clerks at CVS. I knew I was starved for social contact in Vermont, but I didn't realize just how much until I returned to the city. Stepping into a sea of people when I walk out the door each morning feeds my soul in a way I can't explain. As they say, it's the little things...
These days I am doing part time graphic design work and getting my shop back up and running after a month of neglect. Flea market season has just started and I'm in my element thrifting my heart out. I've added a bunch of new items to the vintage shop recently and plan to build up my stock substantially in the coming months. I'm headed to Brimfield Antique Show this Thursday, which means come Wednesday night I'll be tossing and turning with excitement like a six year old on Christmas Eve. Despite everything that has happened, life goes on, and life is good! I am stronger than I ever knew.
I'm so excited to get back to blogging, although the content will be different as my life these days bears little resemblance to the one I had when this site began. I still plan to post about thrifting adventures, DIY projects, and design inspiration, but the house remodeling and gardening posts are a thing of the past for now.
Many thanks to my readers for hanging in there while I took a blog break these past few months. It was needed, but I'm so glad to be back!
Claire
Changes are good, even when life forces us to change... Wellcome back!!!
ReplyDeleteHi, Claire,
DeleteBest to you as you and Riley soak up Boston and it provides guidance for your next steps.
Glad to hear you are doing well! I am originally from Vermont and have always wanted to move back but I do have to say that living there as a kid (going to school, having family tote you around and shovel sidewalks for you) is a much different experience than I would have if I moved back as an adult. At any rate, I am happy that you are in a good place and hopefully will find some time to blog again every now and then!
ReplyDeleteVermont is a wonderful place, and I can imagine even more so with friends and family around. Hope you make it back there when the time is right! Thanks for commenting!
DeleteI am so impressed and proud of you that you tackled whatever was troubling you head on and moved past it and move on. "Being back in Boston has felt like coming up for air." I love this line (and that paragraph) Being shy does not necessarily mean that you don't enjoy the energy from being surrounded by people. So happy to hear the optimistic updates and have fun on your personal "Christmas"!
ReplyDeleteThanks Lin, I miss you! Hi to the Chicago office from me!
DeleteIt's so funny that you blogged this Claire, I was just thinking about you and your blog the other day! I happy for you, truly! As with all things in life, this was a valuable learning experience...and everyone has them and they are a great blessing. You are a lovely person Claire, and once again, I am so happy that you are happy!
ReplyDeleteThank you Carol! The encouragement and acceptance of everyone helps so much. Hope you are well too.
DeleteI love reading blogs that are different than my life...I live a life similar to your Vermont experiment. I experimented with life in the city of Seattle for a time but found my true home in Maine. I have a freshman college aged son who today told me that he knows his dad & I gave him the best childhood we could but he would have been happier elsewhere...ie the city...any city! I say nothing ventured nothing gained. Wishing you all the very best in your NOW! It is all good! I look forward to following your present adventures ... But if you ever get a hankering for the "country" life come live vicariously through my blog http://injoyemporium.blogspot.com/?m=0 as I do through others...the internet is wonderful... Wishing you well
ReplyDeleteDeborah - thanks for the words of encouragement! I just checked out your blog and Etsy shops and you've got a new fan :) Your land in Maine looks wonderful. Freedom, Maine, what a great name for a town! All the best to you!
DeleteI am so happy to hear from you and that you are back to where and who you need to be. Every one of "life's lessons", even the difficult ones, are important and help us grow. My two favorite expressions, that have helped me get through some of the rough times: "Greatness is never achieved until one has suffered". And "Education is expensive". Welcome home!
ReplyDeleteGood for you Claire! It's taken me a lifetime to understand that making my happiness a priority is NOT selfish but truly best for me and everyone around me. You are so lucky to have figured that out now! I just moved out to the country (my friends call it 'the middle of nowhere') and I couldn't be happier..for now..if I need a busy city, I can always move back-as you find. Life is all about our choices...and making the choices right for ourselves...Good For You...I think you are doing the tight thing!
ReplyDeleteI was reading the interviews on Etsy about people who quit their day jobs and I saw the one about you. It interested me not only because I also fool around with buying and selling vintage, but because my husband and I and our daughter packed up and moved from New Jersey first to Oklahoma, where we had no jobs and didn't know a soul, and then to southern Virginia where we also had no jobs and didn't know a soul. I just spent the last hour or so reading your blog, all the way back to when you visited your friends in Virginia. I chuckled when I read about your guy getting stuck in the snow with the plow and how you had to feed that stove. I smirked when I read how you found that store in town real cheap. Yeah, because there's no people there! lol We did it all. We were so out in the middle of nowhere in Oklahoma that our nearest neighbor had a few thousand acres, you knew you were getting company when you saw a dust cloud over the horizon (and damn if it wasn't the UPS man!), and one time when our daughter was in school, we went out into the yard buck naked and ran around and screamed, lol. I have funny stories but I hated it there. We hightailed it to Virginia (I thought I'd like it because of the historic old farmhouses and antiques) which was not our cup of tea either. Too conservative mostly. And very hard to make a living or make friends. We gave it a good try though. We lasted in Virginia for 7 years total, 2 in one place, and then 5 in another. Finally we gave up and came home to Jersey and I felt like you did. Little things like being on line in CVS brought me joy. I have to admit I have the best of both worlds here though. We discovered south Jersey. It's the country, but it's still Jersey. I'm 15 minutes to everything but I'm surrounded by corn fields. Best of all, there's an antique auction every Friday night right down the road. Anyway, I'm curious, was it the culture? Boston and Vermont are very different. Lastly, you inspire me to keep on. I'm a bit rattled from our experience. Rattled is putting it lightly. I think I have PTS. You probably did the right thing by cutting your losses as quickly as you did. Good luck in Boston. I will follow you.
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