Nothing is permanent. That’s what the Buddhists say. And I am all too often reminded of that… 6 years ago when my apartment and the world I knew were submerged in the waters from Hurricane Katrina… the somewhat vagabond life that followed… living in Texas… here for a while then there. And then returning 18 months later to a still unstable New Orleans. My most recent year in New Orleans, I house sat in other people’s homes… 6 months here… six months there. And now here I am again, wandering… in Europe this time. How does a Gypsy begin to be at home?
I started this morning with some of my typical rituals… continuing to build my spiritual backbone… knowing, wanting…and sometimes seeing and experiencing that there is a way and place where I am at home… in spirit. That is the ground from which I build my foundation. Every day. This morning I read a passage from A Course in Miracles… reminding me to be open to seeing, experiencing and hearing God in and through all things… that God is an echo beyond what we see and experience. Oneness. And in that space, home to me sounds and feels a lot like “om“!
It’s quiet today at the Seminar house and it has been good to be able to take my time. Grounding. I’ve been tending to the basics. Cleaning this. Organizing that. And today, Dan, my fellow American here in Wettenbostel, and I had a big adventure and rode bicycles into the nearby town of Amelinghausen. A neighboring town just 8 kilometers away… it is the closest source for groceries and other basic needs. Armed with bicycles… that were in need of a little tender loving care… we braved the ride, the two, maybe three hills and safely arrived for a little shopping and a coffee break. It was my first time “breaking out” of Wettenbostel to Amerlinghausen without the escort of one of our hosts and their vehicle. Being there on the bicycle passing the fields of corn, beets and potatoes just felt good and kind of reminded me who I am. Nothing exciting or dangerous… but just the pleasure of being on a bicycle… seeing the fields expand and feeling the coolness of the wind. I had to laugh when on two different occasions I had to swerve my bicycle to avoid hitting a stray potato on the road. Only in Germany. Land of the potato. We returned to the Seminar Haus, me feeling victorious at having successfully returned to the mother ship. My legs were stretched from the exercise and my heart was moving faster.
And now, here I am… back at home. There is a familiar feeling in spending time at Wettenbostel that gives way sometimes to the peace and ease of home. But I am aware, in true gypsy form, that my life is still a home in motion. And I like that. But in the meantime, I do need to take the time to just be. Be me. Ride a bicycle. Work a little in the garden. Have some time to relax… work a morning in my pajamas. Watch a movie at night. It seems with all the chaos not so long ago in my life… that perhaps I was lost. But every day little by little, in the magic, the ways, the experiences of my life and new adventure…in quiet still ways.. I am found. I am at home.
Gypsy Woman 
Reminds me so much of my time in Germany. We lived in a farming community and many weekends took bike rides through the towns. It was so peaceful and different than the suburb life of St. Louis (you can relate!).
So glad you are having a wonderful experience in Germany. Get ready for the cold weather! 🙂 But I had the most wonderful white Christmas when we were there. So magical!
Watch out for those German potatoes. They are out to get unsuspecting foreign bicycle riders. Funny!