AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER, I’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO GO TO A TROPICAL PLACE 🏝️

🔥

As long as I can remember I’ve always wanted to go to a tropical place. Bali first came onto my radar probably about 15–20 years ago and for me it was like the dream place to go to, but I’d never thought that it would be something that would come to reality, that I would ever be able to go.

FOR ME, THIS ALWAYS FELT OUT OF REACH 👀

For me going to Bali has always been one of them out-of-reach dreams, but that’s no longer the case. That dream has become reality after a good few years of complete shit that’s happened, and taking the time to really decide on what matters for me in life and what I really want out of my life, I decided that fuck it. Why not aim for this dream? This big dream. Why not make going to Bali a reality?

AND THERE’S MORE TO THIS STORY.

I had a car accident six years ago that was quite a horrific one, but that’s a story for another day, and as a result of that I had quite a severe shoulder injury that saw me being given a payout that actually opened my eyes to so many possibilities.

My awesome friend Mimi lives in Bali, and seeing her pictures and videos every day just made that dream cement even deeper into my brain. Like… I want this. I really want this. I want to be there.

Every time we went on holiday, every time we went somewhere, it just felt harder to come home.

THEN THIS HAPPENED 😁

Mimi is doing a retreat in Bali, and when she first posted about it I was very much like, I would love to do that. I’ve always wanted to go on a retreat and do something that’s just solely for me, but I never really thought that was a possibility.

Being a single parent, not having a dad in the picture to be able to pick up the slack when I want time out, it just kind of left me with no options really.

My adult kids are really helpful and they support where they can, but the girls have got their own kids now and their own lives, it’s hectic, it’s busy, and my son is the same.

AND THEN THE MONEY CAME THROUGH 💸

And when I had that money come through, I just knew that this was something I could do for myself.

I asked my second daughter if she would have Lily for a few weeks so I could go and do this amazing trip to Bali, and she was really supportive, really happy to help, and said she’d have Lil.

It started off with just a couple of weeks, and then I was like… I don’t think a couple of weeks is enough. I want to do longer.

So I settled on three weeks, as it felt like a happy medium for both of her having Lily and me being away from Lily.

AND THEN I BOOKED IT ✈️

Not just the retreat.

I booked the flights.

I booked the start of accommodation for my first few days in Bali.

Now that’s about my solo trip.

THE MOVE TO BALI IS A WHOLE OTHER STORY 🌎

I’ve always known that the UK wasn’t my home. I’ve moved from place to place because I just never felt settled and never really felt like I belonged, or that this was where I was supposed to be.

From a young age I never wanted to stay in the UK. I wanted to join the army and travel and get to see the world, because I just knew this wasn’t really where my heart was.

But with the kids there was no way I could have taken them to live in another country. They’ve got close relationships with their dads and their dads would never have allowed it, and to be fair I totally get that and I understand that.

I also wasn’t financially viable to do that before.

AND THEN SOMETHING SHIFTED 🤩

The start of last year is when I really started thinking… actually, I could do this. We could move. We could actually make this a thing for me and Lily, because it’s just me and her.

Lily’s done loads of background research. She’s done projects for our homeschooling on Bali, the culture, the religion, everything about it, really, and she started to fall in love with it.

I showed her loads of videos and pictures from all sorts of people all over the internet, my friend made me stuff, and more and more Lily became drawn to Bali.

I left it for Lily to make the decision as to whether or not she wanted to make this big move.

AND THIS IS THE BIT THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING ❤️

Initially the plan was that we would do a three-month trip to Bali and see how she felt while out there.

But last year, in December, she came to me and said… sod it. Let’s just do it, Mum. Let’s have an adventure. Let’s just go. Let’s leave the UK and all the shit that’s happened to us over the years and start afresh.

She didn’t say fuck it. I said fuck it.

But yeah.

When she agreed, I said to her, if you say this and I put the wheels in motion, then that’s it. We’re going. I’m not stopping it when you start to have wobbles.

This is commitment. We commit and we commit hard.

So that’s what we’ve done.

AND NOW HERE WE ARE ☸️

And now the wheels are in motion.

Not just for this epic solo trip to Bali, but for something even bigger that’s coming after.

I feel excited and nervous at the same time, because this is something I’ve always wanted to do, and I’ve never done anything like this as a single mum, and part of me still can’t quite believe I’ve actually said yes to it all.

There’s a lot to come.

A lot to feel.

A lot to navigate.

But this is happening.

THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS ⏰

4 comments