Don’t sweat the small stuff. We have all heard it a thousand times; it’s simply difficult to implement. I have already confessed that I am a Type A, royal pain in the butt – simply ask my family. Relinquishing control to anyone or any being is just not in my fabric, despite my conservative, religious upbringing in Catholic school in New Jersey and at home with my doubly-devout parents.
Enter Cyprus.
Leaving my handsome-paying corporate finance job to live on an island, income-less with my two young children was a real doozy for me. Please don’t misunderstand: I left my handsome-paying corporate finance job more than willingly because I never really loved the work. Or the hours. Or the sitting at the desk in my tiny cubicle 9+ hours per day. Or pantyhose. I must admit: since I left the corporate finance job, I threw out ALL my pantyhose and have never wore one since! Yes, I wear tights or go bare in the summers; but it’s not the same. Tossing my pantyhose was SO liberating.
The ability to maintain some sort of calm when the microcosm of a world I created appears to be crumbling is a skill I never could quite master. My stomach would rumble; it felt as if corn were popping in my belly, and anxiety would overcome me. Many of my American friends were similar. We wanted to control everything. Interestingly, the circle of friends I developed in Cyprus seemed slightly different. Was it because they lived in a gorgeous, exotic (that is a subjective term. Most Cypriots’ eyes would light up when I said I was from America. Who knew they would think my small town in Virginia was exotic?!) island and the sun shone more than 300 days per year? Perhaps. Or perhaps they grew up with a philosophy that is less controlling, more accepting of what life sometimes brings us.
There are many little sayings that I heard over the years that I hope to share with each of you. Because less control is sometimes what we need to let go and enjoy the ride.
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