After four years in Portugal, I found myself standing at a crossroads. The summers had grown hotter, the land drier, and despite my love for the quiet mountainside I’d called home, life was becoming harder. Earning an income out there wasn’t easy, and the relentless heat made even simple days feel like a battle. I had gone to Portugal to find peace — and in many ways, I did — but peace is not enough when survival begins to outweigh joy.
Coming back to the UK wasn’t part of some grand plan. It was simply time. I sold up, packed what little I had left, and stepped once again into uncertainty. Only this time, I was returning to my own country feeling more like a traveller than a local.
When I arrived back, I didn’t want to settle right away. The idea of staying still after years of open sky felt impossible. That’s when the boat came into the picture — a small river cruiser moored along a quiet canal. It wasn’t perfect, but it was mine… despite the frustrations. The first boat I had bought turned out to be a scam; the seller had already sold it to someone else and vanished with my money. I wont go into this now but It took weeks of phone calls and the Police and bank’s help to get it resolved. Stressful doesn’t begin to cover it, but I learned something in that moment — sometimes starting over doesn’t wait until everything is neatly lined up. Sometimes, you just have to take the leap, even if the ground (or water) shifts beneath you.
Once aboard the new boat, I discovered a new rhythm. Mornings were misty and slow, the kind where time seems to hold its breath. The sound of ducks tapping against the hull, the gentle rock of water, the freedom to drift a little — it all gave me space to breathe again. It wasn’t the life I’d planned, but it was the life I needed. Simpler. Smaller. Quieter.
Starting over doesn’t always mean reinventing yourself. Sometimes it’s about returning — to who you were before the noise, before the struggle, before the fear. Portugal taught me resilience. The canal taught me stillness. And now, back on familiar soil, I’m learning balance — between movement and rest, between holding on and letting go.
Maybe that’s what starting over really means.
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