Hope you’ve had a good Memorial Day weekend. Sometimes I panic when I realize I’ve got 3 days and nothing to do with my bouncy 4-year-old. We’ve done ok this weekend.

We went to the park and took a nature walk.

We had a playdate.

Today might bring the lake or a movie. I was very surprised nowhere in downtown Orlando is having a parade today??

I’m trying to soak up Orlando as best I can before we move.

I swear I wrote a review on this book already. I’m really surprised I didn’t, since I keep thinking about it months after I read it. At any rate…

I thought Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert was some sort of key to better health, by the title. But then my best friend in the universe, Andrijana, whose book tastes run identical to mine, told me otherwise.

I have a strong belief that certain books come to us when we need them most. When I read this, I needed inspiration and a little adventure. And it made the decision to move to China a little easier.

The author’s going through a bad divorce and a bad rebound relationship. She decides to take a year off and travel to Italy, India, and Indonesia for some mental, spiritual, and physical rest. I love to travel, so of course this appealed to me.

She finds challenges, like surviving a silent retreat, that are completely relatable. But I also envied her, because she’s my age (ish) and did things I could never see myself being capable (traveling around the world for a year alone being one).

Still, I loved this book. In thinking about China, I have determined that I need to have some sort of spiritual goal to make it a better trip. I am Buddhist (did ya know?), so being where Buddhism sprang up, was repressed, then rose again, will be inspirational. It will provide a different spiritual context for my life. I would also like to start meditating. I suck at it, so I hope to find a meditation class. Other than that, I want to slow down (yes, honey, I do listen to you) and enjoy life more.

What about you? Did you read the book? What did you take from it?

So when I was at the Florida Conference for Women last week, Ariane de Bonvoisin talked about change. About how we all hate it, but it’s inevitable. And it got me thinking about my changes.

Courtesy of jaylopez on stock.xchng.

Obviously, I have some major changes coming up, what with moving to China and all. And at times, it seems an insurmountable goal. Sometimes I think, “China? Are you crazy? You want to uproot your family and move to frickin China where they have banned YouTube?? What kind of a weirdo country does that??”

But then I take a deep breath and think of all the other changes I’ve survived:

• Being pregnant, finishing my MBA, and simultaneously moving out of my house.
• Three days after Max was born, moving in with my parents while the hub moved to Florida to work.
• Moving to Florida the day before the last of the big 3 hurricanes in 2004. Not having power with a 6 week old baby. Fun.
• Having 3 jobs I hated within one year.
• Quitting/getting fired from the last one and falling into starting my own company.
• Buying a Marble Slab Creamery and then watch it fail.

Dude. I can totally handle China.

So if you fear change, I suggest you think of the changes you’ve already conquered. It makes you feel good. And then visit Ariane’s site, First 30 Days, because it helps you through many common changes.

And if you don’t mind sharing, leave a comment with the change you’re dealing with right now.