Wave by Wave is the title of my new book, where I share what my husband and my life change – from living in Stockholm to living and sailing around the world – has done to me. In this series of articles, I will share and reflect on my biggest takeaways. In this one, I will share both the pain and the gifts of letting go completely.
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I never imagined I would have to give up my entire home. A home that my husband and I had slowly built over twenty years with quality furniture, kitchenware, art, and a ton of books. But that’s exactly what we did to realise our dream of a completely different life – aboard a sailboat.
Photo by Anna: A fraction of the book harvest.
Go All-In
Most sailors keep their homes, so that one day they have something to return to. We didn’t have the financial means and even if we had, I’m not sure that we would have chosen to keep the apartment. A home needs to be looked after. You can rent it out, but not for as long as you want, according to Swedish law. Others keep some of their belongings in a storage room. We didn’t do that either because we wanted to go completely into the new.
The Pain
We chose to leave everything behind. Others lose everything, in a fire, for example. Even though in our case it was voluntary, it was sad to leave so much behind. Part of it was to be confronted with the little value to others, of what was so dear to us. Thoughtful sales often ended in giving away. Heavy and tough.
The Gift
Still, I’m so glad we left everything behind. Letting go of stuff frees up both space and time. Even small things. It’s an invitation to something new. Humans have a strong power to come back and create something new. For us, it opened a life where we follow natures and our own rhythms more. We take the time to listen to each other and our own intuition. This in turn has increased our creativity – I write a lot more, and Arthur has learned to play the guitar and delved into cooking.
Curious?
Still, the stuff was just the beginning. During the journey, we’ve let go of even more. If you’re curious and want to read more, you’ll find links to Wave by Wave below.
See you!
Kind regards from Anna Eriksson
Independent coach and author
1/6-25, Santa Cruz, Tenerife
Wave by Wave at Adlibris
Wave by Wave at Amazon