Yesterday I spent the day on Forteiland in the Ijmuiden harbor. It is an old fort that used to be part of the defense line of Amsterdam. We had a work meeting there. I thought it was going to be another meeting involving slides and increasing butt numbness from the chairs only this time on an island so we couldn’t sneak off early. I was wrong. It turns out it was a day of adventure. We had all kinds of interesting stuff to do like shooting a bow, going blindfolded through an obstacle course in the old ammunition rooms, building a catapult and launching missiles. It was good fun! I did get a sunburn despite my sunscreen. However, it was worth it. We were split into teams and I had a really good team to work with. We were excellent with strategic things and working together, we didn’t do so well in the single oriented activities like sharpshooting on the range.

Today I had another day long meeting. However, this one was more serious. Instead of the office, we met at Wim’s house. He lives out in the polder and has a tremendous yard with rabbits (Ozzy and Sharon) and four chickens and a rooster, a goldfish pond and a garden that is composed of different “rooms” so you are never bored. Of course, an enormous terrace as well. It reached 84 degrees today so this was a great place to have a meeting. It was also really productive despite our best efforts to be distracted by the outdoors.

When I see places like Wim’s, I do think about moving outside of the city. I am charmed by the old farmhouses and tiny streets with one lane bridges and canals along every house. I like looking across the meadows and seeing the cows and the sheep and in the distance the tall tower of the church in the next town. I like the space that you have and imagine the peace and quiet. And then I think about things like the fact that his town doesn’t have an ATM anymore. The bank said there wasn’t enough usage. I think about how I like going out in the evening and in a small town you either have to make friends quickly or be perfectly okay with being the outcast. Not much middle ground. That pulls me back to the idea of living in the city pretty quickly! I do enjoy visiting it. Perhaps one day when I grow up, I will live in the countryside too, on a small farm.

I have spent the past couple of days processing things out of my head and talking myself down from the ceiling. I try not to get so wound up but it happens. It gets worse when I don’t say anything about it and keep it buried. I haven’t changed my mind about the decisions I made for going forward. In the future, I will act on them sooner and not wait for things to get better, because really they won’t.

My Andre Rieu tickets came today. I have to figure out who to bring along since the original intended guest is out of the picture. Or I could just go alone, which would be completely okay. Either way, I have my weekend booked at the castle nearby and before the concert, there is a fabulous dinner at Chateau Neercanne complete with a wine pairing and a designated driver so I am certain to enjoy the concert 🙂 Unfortunately, small dogs are not invited! I will do my best to celebrate Mom’s chosen 75th birthday with happiness and gratitude for the life that I have.