I’ve genuinely enjoyed the opportunity to write during this trip. At first, I wasn’t sure how I felt about being “appointed” the documentarian of this adventure. Would it start to feel like a chore? Would anyone actually read this stuff?, or would my rambling posts end up lost in the internet wilderness, read only by me, Sheila, and maybe Cedar one day?
But as it turns out, I’ve sort of loved it. On many occasions, I’ve set aside time—headphones on—to sit and recount the day’s or week’s adventures, indulging my creative funny bone. I’ve always enjoyed weaving a good yarn, and by now most people take my storytelling with the seriousness it deserves (the 80/20 rule applies: 80% true, 20% bullshit, or is it the other way around). Still, with any good adventure, I hope this blog will serve as a primer when we’re back home sharing these memories with friends and family.
Of course, there were plenty of little moments I could have written about, but following my own advice of cutting down screen time, I would have been glued to the laptop instead of out on the lake—or in the mountains—or in a mountain lake, like we were the other day. Maybe, one day, I’ll get around to writing down the bedtime stories Cedar and I dreamed up as we lay on our backs thinking about all the fun we’d had. Like the fairies who live in mountain houses trading wild strawberry jam with the hut guardians at Soldat, or the ones who ride a magic funicular and zipline between their tiny homes.
Don’t get me wrong, what I’ve written here is definitely the curated version of our trip. Eighty-nine days of morning, noon, and night together brought plenty of knock-down, drag-out fights (between all of us). Just like all good social media, we’ve shared the best of the best—not the messier bits. Surprise – not everything has been perfect 🙂 like our haunted Nespresso machine, or the time Jason blew the power to the entire apartment trying to run a shaver (which is now probably broken). Or Cedar’s “seven-day” TV grounding that somehow lasted two months, or the enthusiastic jackhammering from the construction site below us… Each of these could’ve been its own blog post, and maybe, once we’re home, I’ll add a few of these moments for extra spice. Or maybe not.
What I do know is that I’m not ready to say goodbye to any of this. We’ve had the incredible privilege of being welcomed into so many lives here—first and foremost, our Swiss family in Chernex. We’ve also had the chance to step outside the hustle and bustle of our “regular” life and learn firsthand how things can feel when you focus on each other and live simply. Sabine and Yvan have a beautiful family, and as an outsider looking in, it’s obvious they’ve got their priorities exactly where they should be. As Sabine says of Yvan (and Yvan of Sabine): “We’re happiest when we’re spending time together as a family.”
That spirit radiates through this whole place. Celine, David, Sophia, Alexandre, Rafael, and Norah (the cousins) are the same way—the seven of them form a formidable gang, tearing up the village together, and somehow always playing nicely. We’ve been so lucky to be welcomed into it all.
If but for nothing else, this journal will document how this place and these people etched themselves into the pages of our family story. More than anything I will miss the gathering at HQ for Apero evenings in Chernex, the kids laughter bouncing off the stone walls of la Petit Ruelle, the last minute adventures and the small and unexpectedly perfect moments. We came here looking for a change of pace, a reset, and we found it, and much more. We learned about the swiss sense of connection—to each other, to these places, and to a more intentional way of living. I hope when we return home, we carry a little of this with us.
This isn’t goodbye, it’s see you later!
P.S. There are a few more posts just sitting in draft waiting to be uploaded with pictures. Our last couple of weeks were spent squeezing every last bit of fun out of our trip, I’ll be sure to get them uploaded, along with a bunch more photos as soon as we get home!
