It’s So Different

It’s so different to live over here, compared to Switzerland. Today, again, I realized how privileged I am. Growing up in the mountains the biggest treat for me was to go to a beach once maybe twice a year. For some reason I always felt drawn to the beach, to the ocean. I loved the mountains, my mountain, the mountain I saw each morning when I opened the curtains of my bedroom. I loved it at any time of the year. But the beach was something entirely different.

The beach was always special, it was the place I felt I belonged. Close to the ocean, close to the water, feet in the sand.

What back then was a treat, a trip, something special, now turned into something I can do every day if I like to. When we first moved to Australia, I took my son down to the beach every day at least twice for a play. No matter what the weather was like. I took the dog for a long walk along the beach or on the beach, depending on the time of the year. Living here now for almost a decade it slightly changed. I don’t go to the beach on a daily base. I pick my day.

Just like I used to pick my days to go skiing.

I guess it’s just normal. When you live that close and you have it available all the time, you pick the good days. The days that suit you. You don’t feel like you have to do it in any case because you have plenty of options. Funny enough when we go skiing now, you’ll find all of us on the slopes no matter what the weather is like. Last time we’ve been to the snow at one point my husband and I looked at each other and started giggling. We both had the same thought. We would have never been out there on the slope in weather like this back in the days. Because it was a shocking day. But because we only had a certain amount of time available in the mountains, we knew we had to make the most of it. For our kids it wasn’t any different as well.

Things shift, when you move all the way around the globe. Back then I would have spent every possible minute on the beach. Now, I decide if I want to go or not. I decide if it’s too hot, too cold, too wet, too dry, too crowded.

It’s a privilege!

Today, I was privileged once again. It’s Tuesday and every “normal” person is working while their kids are at school. We decided to to “beach-schooling” today and headed to one of our favorite beaches. On the way talked about what’s currently happening in this world and how history repeats itself (there was a history lesson). Then we talked about nutrition and healthy eating and when we hit the beach it was all about swimming, running, playing, moving. It was a great day.

And as much as I never understood the tourists who went out skiing in the worst conditions when I still lived in the ski resort, I did not really understand my kids spending hours in the not even 15C cold water. For me it’s definitely too cold and I’m happy to wait for the days when the water is warmer, because I can.

Having had my feet in the sand and in the water was priceless, though, and I’m so looking forward to the next time. It’s so different. My life is so different to back then and I’m so glad it is…