And so the Christmas holidays have gone, the new year has started and the end of January is in sight. Days pass, weeks and months even, and I realise I haven’t shown my face here for a while.
When looking back over 2021 with my husband we reflected that a lot has happened, yet it felt like nothing much actually did. Lots of work (luckily!) but not enough travel. We made an offer on a larger house (the famous extra room) but after 5 months of sorting out stuff (mortgage, decluttering the loft, finding a buyer for our current place) we still are nowhere near owning the place. Busyness for the sake of it, or at least so it feels.
Leaving aside what occupies our minds and time every day, I have many things to celebrate.
New conversations about FIRE
Last year I had great conversations with my FIRE loving girlfriends as well as with friends who are FIRE-shy. The latter are women in whose lives suddenly something changed and are now willing to listen. Strong and smart women who, like me less than a decade ago, would feel intimidated by the thought of investing.
I have reached the point of confidence in my FIRE journey that allows me to talk about the why in just enough words to spark their attention and get them hooked.
I found FIRE’s super power
If you are wondering about the magic word, FIRE’s super power, it’s flexibility.
I have the flexibility to work full time and have full time earnings while prioritising myself and my family if anything happens. I have the flexibility to start work an hour later if I feel so. I have the flexibility to take a long lunch break and go for a walk in the park. I had flexibility when we all tested positive for Covid. I have the flexibility to pick work that involves fewer meetings so that I remain flexible in managing my time.
Flexibility. It is ultimately what FIRE is about.
Making changes
The one thing I missed most was travelling. We travelled minimally because I couldn’t face all the bureaucracy involved, but in hindsight it was a mistake. So on 1st January I booked our first trip of the year – Spain here we come!
I also missed writing here, organising my thoughts and communicating with someone out there willing to read. I’ll be more present here this year, and also here.
And with this in mind it may come as a surprise that I’ll also try to go a bit… non-digital! Yes, you read that right. I got back into painting after 30 years, swimming in the local lido (something that I thought I would never do in winter, having grown up in hot Italy) and maybe evening a tad of gardening.
A few more things we’ve been up to in 2021
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