“There cannot be change without loss” (~ An Examined Life)

[Written 26 July 2026)

Change is hard. For most people it seems, even making a change they know they want (or at least say that they do) seems to come with a good amount of procrastination and deferral. 

We like our comfort zones, we like staying safe. The title of this post is a quote from a book called The Examined Life, which makes me wonder if part of our seemingly natural aversion to proactively seek constructive change is that we are (generally) loss averse. 

Saying goodbye and going through the last month of change has been hard for all of us, and particularly Div and the girls. They seem to be experiencing a lot of the loss part of this change curve, without really seeing much of the upside (- yet!). Saying bye to friends, selling our family home, closing several important chapters all at the same time was a lot. 

I'm so proud of how they have held themselves, been honest and open about their feelings and how we've been able to talk about it as a family. Our bonds are strengthened by going through this together, and I'm so glad we are safe space for each other. And they've learned that it's perfectly fine to say goodbye with a tear in your eye and a smile on your face at the same time. 

At Heathrow airport today as we were walking to the boarding gate of our first flight leaving London and heading to Namibia - Sia turned and asked me if it is now too late to cancel the whole trip and turn back. She asked in a level tone and with a maturity beyond her years. It was heartbreaking.