First, let me say Happy Mother’s Day to my VERY special mom – someone who has loved me, comforted me, and supported me throughout my whole life!! She’s a very special person, and I feel honored to have her as my special mom!! I wish I could be there in person to tell you how much I love and appreciate you, but being the good mom that you are…. you’ve encouraged me to live the life I feel called to live – and that means being away from you on this very special day!! And for all the “surrogate moms” (and dear friends) I’ve had over the years (those who have created warm, loving environments – places of the heart – for me to stay as I’ve done my meandering)… and those who have loved me for who I am for many, many years… you have changed my life with your unconditional love and support!!
In fact, I had an epiphany the other day while watching House Hunters International (one of my favorite TV shows because it shows examples of people who have listened to the “call” in their lives to live abroad for various reasons – new job, new love, new adventure, becoming the person they know they can be in a new environment – anyway, I just love that show because it allows me to DREAM!!) So back to my epiphany…. Although I see my life-choices as exciting adventures and not something to be feared, some people have commented on my “courageousness” in trying new things alone – traveling to new places without a companion, and living a “nomadic life” (always trying to keep in my awareness where the next step might take me on this journey).
I used to think I was this adventuresome (or is it adventurous?) because I was the youngest child and chose to be “counter-cultural” because I didn’t want to fit in with the “normal life” that seems to work so well for others (but makes me feel kind of claustrophobic)! But my epiphany was this….I think the reason I feel the SECURITY to live this kind of life – and take different kinds of risks than would be required by living a stable, secure life in one place – is because I was well-loved by my parents, my sisters, and all my dear friends and extended family! It just goes to show that when a child is loved, the result is security – which allows for freedom to SOAR in whatever direction fulfills our passions!!
So on this special day for moms (created, by the way, by mothers who wanted to come together for the purpose of keeping their sons from being killed by one war after another!!), I honor all of you who are (and those who will soon be!!)….MOMS!! And I thank each of you for loving me so well – deeply enough to give me the security that I CAN do whatever I’m called to do in this world, even if it means being far, far away!
So with all that love and mushiness aside….let me catch you up on my life here last week!! I guess the fact that I haven’t posted in over a week is a good thing! It’s been a busy week, and the good news is I’m feeling much more “grounded” and connected here than I was a couple weeks ago! My week started out with a lovely “coffee date” last Saturday with Mikaela (one of the other Front Desk Associates) in Raton! She loves coffee as much as I do, and when I mentioned that I was feeling a little “dry” (emotionally, spiritually AND physically), she suggested a coffee date where we could just chat – or sit and read together – ahhhh…music to my ears!!
Now it might seem kind of silly to drive an hour there and an hour back just to get coffee, but it was the ambiance and the act of getting away from the Ranch – as well as the wonderful conversation – which was so fulfilling! We only had a few hours because I had to work that afternoon at 2pm, but it was great to have an open, DEEP, authentic conversation with someone over coffee!! In fact, we had so much fun, we scheduled another trip into town a couple days later – but this time it was into the big town of Trinidad!
We decided to head into Trinidad so I could pick up a few “essentials” from Walmart….I tried to bring whatever I thought I might need for awhile (since my experience last year was that it took me a couple months to finally make it from Mackinac Island to the Walmart in Cheboygan!!), but there were a few things I didn’t plan on (like needing BOXES of Kleenex because my nose is still going crazy with the dryness – alternating with allergens which make it run!!). Soooo….we headed off “to the big city” (anywhere off the Ranch is considered “the big city”!!) for the second time on my day off.
All-in-all, I think we were gone almost 5 hours, and it seems kind of wasteful to take that long of a road trip for a few essentials at Walmart, but we also had a special treat in store for us in Trinidad….a STARBUCKS!!! (Of course it was a Starbucks located in a Safeway, so it wasn’t a “real” Starbucks, but it was as good as it gets here!!) AND, as a special bonus, it was half-price Happy Hour week (meaning half-price frapaccinos for both of us)!! Yummmm…..it was like being in a foreign country and eating at McDonalds – it just tasted like HOME and made me quite happy!!
Now before you get all worried thinking I’ve “lost it” and am so desperate that I’m terribly excited about a Starbucks and a Walmart, it was mostly the drive there and back that I found nourishing. It was like being on a mini-road trip, and for me….that’s one of the best times to connect with someone! Just driving along, looking at the scenery (scrub brush AND some beautiful mountains)…just chatting and talking about whatever came to mind!
She’s reading the book “Bonhoffer” and is interested in that time-period (Germany during the time of Hitler and the Holocaust), so we had some meaningful conversations about what it means to stand up for what you know is right – holding onto your integrity and values in the face of extreme opposition. We talked about whether it’s better to stand up for your beliefs (and risk dying or being put away in that kind of dangerous situation) – or being more “subtle” and doing things where you don’t stand out as much so that you can continue “fighting the good fight” for a longer period of time.
I think we would all LIKE to believe that we would have the courage of our convictions – standing up for what we believe is right in an extremely dangerous situation – but I fear that I wouldn’t (and hope I’m never faced with that challenge)! Then again, we do that every day when we step forward and stand in our authenticity and integrity about who we are, right?!?! Every time we honor ourselves and “speak our truth” (knowing that we might be risking the criticism or judgment of someone who disagrees with us), we are standing up for what we believe is right – the belief that EVERYONE gets to have an opinion that they believe is true and still be “okay” in the eyes of others. Then again, it’s not death or internment we are facing when we speak our own truth, but it can sometimes FEEL like that when we risk losing the approval of others (or at least that’s been my experience)!!
Well, I guess it’s time for me to get this posted! Wishing you all a great Mother’s Day!! Celebrate WELL those women in your life who have touched you deeply, nurtured you and given you the ability to grow and become who you are meant to be!!
In fact, I had an epiphany the other day while watching House Hunters International (one of my favorite TV shows because it shows examples of people who have listened to the “call” in their lives to live abroad for various reasons – new job, new love, new adventure, becoming the person they know they can be in a new environment – anyway, I just love that show because it allows me to DREAM!!) So back to my epiphany…. Although I see my life-choices as exciting adventures and not something to be feared, some people have commented on my “courageousness” in trying new things alone – traveling to new places without a companion, and living a “nomadic life” (always trying to keep in my awareness where the next step might take me on this journey).
I used to think I was this adventuresome (or is it adventurous?) because I was the youngest child and chose to be “counter-cultural” because I didn’t want to fit in with the “normal life” that seems to work so well for others (but makes me feel kind of claustrophobic)! But my epiphany was this….I think the reason I feel the SECURITY to live this kind of life – and take different kinds of risks than would be required by living a stable, secure life in one place – is because I was well-loved by my parents, my sisters, and all my dear friends and extended family! It just goes to show that when a child is loved, the result is security – which allows for freedom to SOAR in whatever direction fulfills our passions!!
So on this special day for moms (created, by the way, by mothers who wanted to come together for the purpose of keeping their sons from being killed by one war after another!!), I honor all of you who are (and those who will soon be!!)….MOMS!! And I thank each of you for loving me so well – deeply enough to give me the security that I CAN do whatever I’m called to do in this world, even if it means being far, far away!
So with all that love and mushiness aside….let me catch you up on my life here last week!! I guess the fact that I haven’t posted in over a week is a good thing! It’s been a busy week, and the good news is I’m feeling much more “grounded” and connected here than I was a couple weeks ago! My week started out with a lovely “coffee date” last Saturday with Mikaela (one of the other Front Desk Associates) in Raton! She loves coffee as much as I do, and when I mentioned that I was feeling a little “dry” (emotionally, spiritually AND physically), she suggested a coffee date where we could just chat – or sit and read together – ahhhh…music to my ears!!
Now it might seem kind of silly to drive an hour there and an hour back just to get coffee, but it was the ambiance and the act of getting away from the Ranch – as well as the wonderful conversation – which was so fulfilling! We only had a few hours because I had to work that afternoon at 2pm, but it was great to have an open, DEEP, authentic conversation with someone over coffee!! In fact, we had so much fun, we scheduled another trip into town a couple days later – but this time it was into the big town of Trinidad!
We decided to head into Trinidad so I could pick up a few “essentials” from Walmart….I tried to bring whatever I thought I might need for awhile (since my experience last year was that it took me a couple months to finally make it from Mackinac Island to the Walmart in Cheboygan!!), but there were a few things I didn’t plan on (like needing BOXES of Kleenex because my nose is still going crazy with the dryness – alternating with allergens which make it run!!). Soooo….we headed off “to the big city” (anywhere off the Ranch is considered “the big city”!!) for the second time on my day off.
All-in-all, I think we were gone almost 5 hours, and it seems kind of wasteful to take that long of a road trip for a few essentials at Walmart, but we also had a special treat in store for us in Trinidad….a STARBUCKS!!! (Of course it was a Starbucks located in a Safeway, so it wasn’t a “real” Starbucks, but it was as good as it gets here!!) AND, as a special bonus, it was half-price Happy Hour week (meaning half-price frapaccinos for both of us)!! Yummmm…..it was like being in a foreign country and eating at McDonalds – it just tasted like HOME and made me quite happy!!
Now before you get all worried thinking I’ve “lost it” and am so desperate that I’m terribly excited about a Starbucks and a Walmart, it was mostly the drive there and back that I found nourishing. It was like being on a mini-road trip, and for me….that’s one of the best times to connect with someone! Just driving along, looking at the scenery (scrub brush AND some beautiful mountains)…just chatting and talking about whatever came to mind!
She’s reading the book “Bonhoffer” and is interested in that time-period (Germany during the time of Hitler and the Holocaust), so we had some meaningful conversations about what it means to stand up for what you know is right – holding onto your integrity and values in the face of extreme opposition. We talked about whether it’s better to stand up for your beliefs (and risk dying or being put away in that kind of dangerous situation) – or being more “subtle” and doing things where you don’t stand out as much so that you can continue “fighting the good fight” for a longer period of time.
I think we would all LIKE to believe that we would have the courage of our convictions – standing up for what we believe is right in an extremely dangerous situation – but I fear that I wouldn’t (and hope I’m never faced with that challenge)! Then again, we do that every day when we step forward and stand in our authenticity and integrity about who we are, right?!?! Every time we honor ourselves and “speak our truth” (knowing that we might be risking the criticism or judgment of someone who disagrees with us), we are standing up for what we believe is right – the belief that EVERYONE gets to have an opinion that they believe is true and still be “okay” in the eyes of others. Then again, it’s not death or internment we are facing when we speak our own truth, but it can sometimes FEEL like that when we risk losing the approval of others (or at least that’s been my experience)!!
Well, I guess it’s time for me to get this posted! Wishing you all a great Mother’s Day!! Celebrate WELL those women in your life who have touched you deeply, nurtured you and given you the ability to grow and become who you are meant to be!!
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