The week has only just started. You're meant to have your castle all to yourself. But the kids are home. Why? Well, maybe you're in Victoria. If you're elsewhere, one kid is getting over a cold and the other is starting to get the sniffles. They're fine. It's just a cold with a little c, nothing more.
Or maybe you're home alone once again and human contact has been elusive at best. Or you're concerned it could become that way.
It's just one of those days. In 2020.
And now, you're coming to terms that this is no longer a sprint. This is the long haul.
Years ago we were living in Melbourne through one of those "long haul" experiences. It lasted almost four years, to be precise. Tielka was in the early years, we didn't have two pennies to rub together and we were living with my mum and dad while we rented out our apartment to survive. Week in week out we didn't even know if we'd make our next mortgage repayment. We'd go through this cycle of asking each other "is this really worth it"? Having our own home, a warehouse, even being able to pay our own bills was a distant dream. We pulled through.
I often look back and think over what gave us the strength to get through, because, at the time, it certainly wasn't adrenaline, or excitement, or passion.
During those years, there wasn't much to glean from our circumstances to give me strength. I was forced to look elsewhere. I was desperate.
I started praying, I reckon I prayed more than the Pope himself. Every morning I would sit on the cold floor of our bathroom in front of a small heater finding whatever strength I could in God. It became my morning ritual. I started to have faith for bigger things, I started to see that life could be good.
Not long after, when we miraculously moved to Agnes Water, Queensland (that's a story for another day), this ritual continued. Only this time it was on our back deck, under the warmth of the Queensland sun. I introduced a cup of tea to this ritual. Since then it has morphed from being not just a lifeline, but a time I treasure. I have my cup of tea, but there are no rules. I have the freedom to connect with the heart of God, or just sip and soak in my surroundings.
I realise we all have different views on God and the source of strength of life, but for me, without God, without sharing this story, my life makes no sense. And I am so grateful for this strength that it would be wrong for me to keep quiet.
I'm writing this message to let you know, this may be the long haul, but there is strength to be found.
So I encourage you, keep going. Take time for yourself. Find that strength and freedom over a beautiful cup of tea.
Indulge in Life.
Rebecca Domorev
Co-Founder
The Long Haul
![](http://tielka.com/cdn/shop/articles/under_the_umbrella_10x.jpg?v=1598331244)
![The Long Haul](http://tielka.com/cdn/shop/articles/under_the_umbrella.jpg?v=1598331244)