When David and I started Kinlake, we knew that we wanted to find a way to do all of this creative stuff while travelling. Is it essentially important to us to be flexible and to be able to travel, for long periods if we want, because we personally believe there’s nothing better to open our minds, to absorb new ideas, meet people and see things that stretch our thoughts. For this reason, we often thought that we wanted to live nomadically. However, lately, we realized that the act of coming back home is essential to this travelling experience. And we started saying that 80% of the pleasure of travelling is about discovering the destination, soaking it all up, and 20% is about being grateful to return to your home base after it. Those 20% are important, as they serve as a closure. When you travel, you open yourself up, and absorb everything like a sponge. Images. Ideas. Thoughts. And returning back home is like being able to squeeze it all out, and eventually do something with it. Like a fresh start.
It is especially true when coming back from summer travels. September feels like a new beginning, sometimes even more so than the new year itself!
This week was our first one back home after a month of travelling and being on the road. We felt extremely energised and ready to tackle everything. The first thing we did on that weekend was to tidy up and rescue our slightly dead indoor plants. Of course, they hadn’t survived this absence well, and David had to set up a little “plant hospital”. We also got to remind ourselves about the small renovations we want to do at home, and to unclutter our space a little bit. Coming back home is also about getting to breathe the local air and eating things that feel familiar and natural, so we walked up to our shared veggie garden, harvested some zucchini & lettuce. On the way there, we also foraged some elderberries, which we made a syrup out of (link to recipe here). They are great as a cold prevention, perfect for the autumn. Oh. And something crazy happened. We found an abandoned kitten nearby my grand parents place, which we rescued and took care of before we could find a home for it. It was a little difficult to start work on monday, as it was way too cute and distracting. But then, this little story created new friendships, and this week was incredibly balanced. We got to see places which we hadn’t seen yet (such as the Rotondes), progressed really comfortably in our current projects, got excited about upcoming ones and catched up with our friends.
Being back home and stepping back to your living space can be a really comforting & renewing experience. Here are our favourite things to do in order to make the best out of it:
HOW TO ENJOY BEING BACK HOME
1) Tidy up & reorganize
With a clear post-travelled mind, you will be more able to see things in your home that are excessive, or of no use to you. Take this opportunity to tidy up, unclutter your space, throw out or give away things you don’t need, creating new breathable space for a fresh start. And who knows, maybe this will bring you some home-styling ideas!
2) Go for a walk in your area
Tune back in with your neighbourhood, the sounds of it, the smells of it, the people, the nature. This grounding ritual will get you to connect to your home-base again and get you excited about it.
3) Refresh your tasklist.
Back at work and catching up? Refresh your to do list, and take the time to go over everything, so that your mind can be at ease. What do you want to continue working on? What do you have to start? What should you brainstorm about? This is also interesting to do within your personal life projects, of course.
4) Make resolutions & embrace new rituals.
A good fresh start is one that’s kind to yourself. This is a good time to think of resolutions that can contribute to your health & wellbeing, as they will boost your productivity and ability to think clearly. Embrace new rituals, such as trying to go to bed a little earlier, training yourself to become more of a morning person (I have some troubles with that!), taking breaks to meditate or to brew a new blend of coffee or tea. Go to the market, try a new seasonal vegetable and cook something delicious. Start a book. Find new ways to destress. Being back home is meant to feel comforting and like a little bit of a rebirth!
5) Meet your friends, talk about your travels and your goals.
Catch up with people that inspire you and that you feel good around. Exchange and talk about your travel stories, listen, laugh, and also talk about your goals now that you’re back home, the projects you want to work on, the things you want to try. Sharing this with people who want to listen and support you makes it even more of a strengthening experience!
