Continuing my life journey and how I was led, Part 8 deals with our retirement experiences once we returned and settled in our home in Australia for good. It is another part of an upcoming book or website section entitled Divinely Led.
Part 8: Retirement and Settling in Australia for Good
Our New Home
Upon our return from Saudi Arabia, we were finally in a financial position to be able to start settling into our new home. However, coming back after so many years living overseas had its challenges. While I was ready to settle down, Alex felt unsettled. He was seriously considering going back to Saudi Arabia to teach at the university where I had taught, though of course in the men’s section. I didn’t want to go with him and I didn’t want him to go by himself, knowing that it would be stressful for both of us.
One of the people we sought advice from was our financial advisor, James. He assured us that our financial position was such that another job was unnecessary, so the only reason for going would be if Alex really wanted to teach. In the end, even though there was an actual job offer, he could see that going back to Saudi wouldn’t be the best decision – much to my relief.
The renters had left the home in reasonably good condition. We were grateful for that after hearing some horror stories of what renters can do. I came back from Saudi Arabia one month before Alex while he was finishing his job contract. When I arrived at the house with my dad who picked me up from the airport, the renters still had stuff everywhere. I contacted the agent and we went out to lunch. After that, the home was available to me, but in the coming days, there were a few issues to deal with.
One of the challenges was a mouse infestation! The downstairs area with the garage and cellar was full of mice, and some were even in the kitchen. So I had to set traps to get rid of that problem. To start feeling at home, I had to hire movers to rearrange the furniture. I also discovered a few strange things, like small rectangles of kitchen lino being cut out and glued back, the reason for which never became clear to me. On a positive note, the renters installed a few security items like a window screen in the ground-level bedroom and a small door at the top of the staircase. In the end we also got a small compensation for the kitchen floor damage.
Little by little, the house started feeling like a home, though Alex’s unsettled feeling continued till about August. Slowly we began unpacking some of the boxes we had brought back from Europe. From an estate sale, we were blessed with some inexpensive second-hand furniture including a living / dining room set of leather sofa and armchairs and a glass-covered solid wood antique dining table with matching lamp tables.
Very soon we began to realize that we didn’t really need much of the stuff that we had brought. We hadn’t missed it while we were teaching overseas, and with time, books and other items acquired a musty smell and even some mold. So unpacking boxes and finding place for the contents became more of a chore than something to look forward to. It didn’t take long before this activity ground to a halt. The house had a double garage and a cellar space next to it, so many unopened boxes found their home there and remained there till our next move to the retirement village sixteen years later.
We both enjoyed the orientation of that home with the winter sun moving along the north-facing front of the house almost all day. While my office was facing the street, three large cypress trees outside the window gave me total privacy. That room saw the creation of books of my dad’s art, poetry and photography, as well as our attempts at website building, starting with my dad’s art website. When Blackie (aka Ebony), the neighbor’s cat started coming over, she often slept in a sunny spot on the carpet and kept me company. As time went on, that office was also where many of my books were created.
Alex’s office was in the master bedroom and he had one window facing the neighbors’ house and the other overlooking the backyard. Placing his desk so that he could look over the backyard, he too, once he settled in, became very productive with writing and website creation. He was still searching for ways to finish his PhD that he began in Korea and completed all requirements but the dissertation, but this was not meant to be. But another study opportunity did open up.
Alex came across a distance study offered by a small Catholic institute in NSW. He enrolled and was very happy with the printed materials sent to him and the reasonable requirements for a Master’s degree. Later the course administration was transferred to Newcastle University and the individual courses became run online rather than with printed materials. In the end, Alex ended up with two Master’s degrees and continued taking various other online courses in spirituality, including Buddhism.
When he received his first study materials from the Catholic institute, I looked through them and liked what I saw. So I ended up enrolling as well, but on my own terms of taking just one class a semester. So while Alex took about 24 classes, I only did nine for a Master’s degree in Theology, together with my own spiritual writing.
We stayed in this house for more than 16 years, enjoyed the pool in the backyard for swims, the nearby park for walks, meeting people, and enjoying the wildlife, and once we bought a car, the home was a convenient distance to all that we needed.
The next chapter deals with how my father, living a short distance away, became an integral part of our lives.
For other information on divine leading, see Spirit Helpers and Guides
Here is a short reflection on being divinely led.