It feels quite arrogant and obnoxious writing this – but I have a pretty amazing life. Previously, I struggled with splitting my life between city and countryside, but since quitting my job in September, I couldn’t be happier.
Without the constraint of office life, we’ve been spending about 80% of our time in Fröhden, 20% in Berlin. Coming back from our winter trip, we had a lot of catching up to do, in terms of planting seeds and general maintenance of the garden. We’ve been redesigning our space, indoor and out, as well as hosting many friends and guests. This is what has been keeping us busy in Fröhden. With the weather being so warm, it makes sense to spend more time in the countryside, enjoying the fresh air and the company of our animals. (We moved our cat out to the farm and she is so happy.)
I was initially surprised at my lack of ‘free/idle time’- there is ALWAYS something to do. I never find the time to just sit and finish this knitting my cardigan, because there are other things to do during the day and at night I am too exhausted. Days are spent doing physical work – whether it be cleaning, painting, digging, weeding, planting. I realised that I enjoy it so much more than sitting in front of a computer all day.
Last year, if someone asked me if we plan to move out to Fröhden permanently, I would have said, ‘oh, maybe in 20 years or so’. Now, I think it could be sooner than later. I no longer miss the city when I’m there. I hardly even think of it. The first time we spent two weeks straight in Fröhden, I was itching to go to a bar. That feeling has disappeared. We have so many guests that we don’t crave city socialising. Some weekends we have so many guests that afterwards, I need to retreat and not talk to anyone for a few days.
Sometimes, I come to Berlin for alone time. I spend most of my time sewing, meeting friends that don’t come out to the countryside, and going to Pilates class. I really enjoy my time here but I find my mind wandering to Fröhden and what I’m missing out on. Who would have thought that all the action would be going in Brandenburg as opposed to Berlin?
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