There is something about unpacking in a new home that makes you think about more than where the furniture should go.
We are taking our time selecting how each room will feel and sorting through what we want to preserve as we settle into our Goodyear home. Beneath all of that, though, is a more deeper question.
What fits the life we want to live now?
Last week, in What Are You Ready to Let Go of After 50?, we talked about letting go to make room. This week, we are thinking about what belongs in that room. The routines, surroundings, and commitments we choose deserve just as much thought as the things we release.
Choosing what fits starts with paying attention to how we want our everyday lives to feel. It means being honest about what we still enjoy, what we need more of, and what has changed. We can appreciate the life we built while making choices that better support who we are today.
A Life Can Be Right for a Season
Living in an RV full-time for five and a half years provided us with experiences and friendships that we now cherish. We formed connections that still make us happy and saw locations we might not have otherwise gone.
We ran into our RV pals at Luke Air Force Base as we started this new adventure. We were camped at Nellis in Las Vegas when we last saw them. We were reminded of how much those years enriched our lives when we saw familiar faces once more.
We will always be grateful for that season.
And we also know that what we want today has changed.
We still enjoy taking trips. We still like going on adventures. However, we also want a place to call home, room for our favorite activities, and comfortable daily routines.
At this point in our lives, we have enough experience to understand that something can be a wonderful choice without being our choice forever.
Pay Attention to What Stays on Your Heart
Goodyear Arizona and the Estrella Mountain Ranch Community stayed on ours.
We remembered the beauty of the lakes, mountains and sunsets and how we felt being here. That feeling stayed with us through other places and other seasons of life.
We took our time, prayed, assessed our situation, and had open discussions about our future goals. Those discussions led to Returning.
Now, with the lake just two blocks from our home, we get to make those walks part of our daily lives once again. Time to move, talk, clear our minds, and enjoy being together.
We were able to understand what we were searching for thanks to those everyday moments.
When we think about the future, it is easy to picture the big milestones. But we also have to live the mornings, afternoons, and evenings in between. How we want those days to feel matters.
Make Choices for the Life You Actually Live
We are keeping that in mind as we make this house our home.
We are taking our time furnishing almost an entire house. We are looking for ways to save, choosing items we like, and determing how we will use each space.
Mack has room in the garage for his supplies and press. We have a backyard we can turn into our own oasis. We are finding places for the belongings that still mean something to us.
Each choice is an opportunity to ask whether something fits our life today.
That question reaches beyond furniture. It can apply to a busy calendar, a habit we have outgrown, or an expectation we have carried for years.
Sometimes we stick with a habit because it is comfortable. Pausing gives us a chance to notice whether we still want it.
Give Yourself Room to Want Something Different
It can be uncomfortable admitting that an old plan no longer feels right. Especially when we invested time, money, or emotion in making it happen.
But we know more about ourselves now than we did when we made some of those plans.
Maybe you want to travel more. Maybe you want more time at home. Maybe you want to spend less, make room for a hobby, or leave a little breathing room in your week.
You do not have to change everything to begin listening to that desire.
This week, consider one part of your life and ask yourself:
Does this still fit me?
Encourage them to ask themselves the same thing. Something that neither of you has spoken aloud yet might come to light during an open discussion.
For us, thriving after 50 includes appreciating where we have been and paying attention to what we need now. We are still learning, still making choices, and still creating a life we enjoy living together.
There are boxes left to unpack and decisions left to make. We are taking our time with both.
What is one thing you want to make more room for in this season of your life?
Kirsten & Mack
Live boldly. Move confidently. Thrive intentionally.
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