Rediscovering Us

I was a wife before I became a mum. I sometimes have to remind myself of that fact when the daily demands of motherhood leave me with almost no time to spend alone with my husband to do the things we love to do together. Not to forget the challenges of a full-time job. With a full calendar most days of the week, I even forget at times to ask him how his day has been. Going away on a holiday without the kids even for just a night or two is a challenge, and it is more difficult from this part of the globe where we neither have the convenience of family nor affordable nannies. Now that my parents are with us for a few months, we grabbed the chance to escape from the kids and from our daily routines for an overnight get-away. We chose to explore a rustic campsite in the Southern Highlands, following a good friend’s recommendation. It was our first camping as a couple. We left early morning of Sunday, but we made sure that Saturday was a day well-spent with the family : 3 soccer games, mass, dinner and a movie night. It was a very long day indeed, but it somehow lessened the guilt of leaving them at home with just the grannies.

Bendeela is nestled in the natural bush land along the Kangaroo River. It was the perfect spot for two people who were looking forward to some peace and quiet, away from the emails and the long to-do list. Just pure serenity while being one with God’s wonderful creation. In this short trip, we were hoping to rediscover ‘us’.

A few kilometres before we reached the campsite, we checked out the scenic Fitzroy Falls. We followed a short 1 kilometre downhill trail to see a glimpse of the falls. The view was stunning!

Before we reached the midpoint though, I had been wheezing and my asthma was giving me a hard time. It didn’t stop me though for reaching our destination. What I loved the most with that short walk was the undivided attention that I got from my husband. He made sure that I am alright, still making me smile for the camera. I just felt loved that morning!

Our next stop was to check out the retail shops of the historic village. They were offering an assortment of vintage and interesting pieces for the home and we can’t help but to imagine which ones would look great in the house that we are currently building. We loved the green nursery as well, and I lost count of all the fruits and veggies that Orly would want to grow in our small backyard when we move. Yes, we are building a place that we can finally call our own!! It is an exciting experience but the excitement and thrill that we should be feeling, especially now that we are just a few weeks away from holding the key to our new home, are sometimes being downplayed by the busyness of living our daily lives. That moment somehow awakened our senses! Finally, I felt really elated and I can’t wait for us to make memories together in our new home as a family. That night though, we’ve put up our little tent in the middle of the vast valley with wombats and wild ducks as our neighbours, and we were pleased to call that our home for the night.

We spent the two days without following any itinerary at all – something that might be difficult if we were with our boys who get bored so easily. We shared the campsite with just a few other campers, mostly older couples in their camper vans, who have the luxury of time to enjoy such trips on a more regular basis. Watching them gave us a glimpse of how we think we’ll spend our time growing old – still creating memories together.

We did a lot of walking for two days, and my pedometer registered 12,000 steps each day! We cooked together, ate slowly, enjoyed good conversations over coffee and hot chocolate, talked about things that would usually stress us out, but this time in a more casual tone. Orly made me laugh with the same old sense of humour which my kids would oftentimes find odd. He made me fall in love again with his voice as he sang while playing the guitar.

I was able to read a lot while Orly was catching fish. It was liberating to almost have no signal, with our phones turned off most of the times. It felt different writing with a pen, but I enjoyed every minute of it. We gazed at the sky, studded with stars. The sound of nature that night has surely set the mood for total relaxation and surrender.

We packed our tent and left the site before noontime the following day and headed to the lovely town of Bowral, just 20 minutes away. We checked out more vintage and artsy shops and I was amazed at how Orly was following my relaxed pace as we hopped from one shop to the next. He also didn’t mind our short stops just to take a photo of me with the bright colours of autumn as my background. He knows very well what makes me happy and he surely did put a smile on my face that day.

We had a very nice Japanese lunch and then it was my turn to make him happy. Our campsite was not a good spot for fishing, and knowing how much he love fishing, I know we have to look for a good spot before heading home. We decided to stop at the coastline to cast his line. He got lucky, catching five leather jackets and a parrot fish. We brought the three biggest catches home and he was a happy man that night!

It was a short 2 days, but I learned a lot about marriage, happiness and life in general. I didn’t realise how much I missed ‘us’ until we experienced being ‘us’ again. As much as we need to focus on the demands of work, and as much as we love our kids, we should make a conscious effort to pause for a while, and to spend time alone, in an environment that will allow us to rediscover ourselves and each other. I am pleased with the fact that we continue to grow as individuals, doing the things that we love doing with great respect and support for one another. As they say, one can only give what he or she has. I understand that better now and I thank Orly for allowing me to be the person that I am, for supporting me to find the happiness from within and for making me feel loved the best way he knows how. It has been a wonderful two days and now my heart is overflowing with joy and love to share, inspired more than ever to be the best version of me. XX