Gypsy Woman

For over a year now I have been on the move, roaming about the country as a full-time house and pet sitter. Honestly, it’s been a time of uncertainty for me and the flexibility and change has been a way for me to stay in the flow as I continue to explore… what now and what next. I’ve been hanging out in the Austin, TX area for the past six months or so fortunate that the sits in the area have kept coming. It started with a few months in a community just outside Austin and then extended to a wonderful respite caring for two kitties on a beautiful stretch of land on a creek on the outskirts of the city limits.

More recently, I was settled for a bit in a suburban South Austin neighborhood until… you guessed it… coronavirus. Not a good time to be a housesitter. My clients were on an extended trip abroad in Southeast Asia and, as can be expected, they made a decision to come home early. Because of their travels and the risky airports they had to fly through on their way home, they were understandably asked to quarantine for fourteen days and so I had a quick window to pack up myself, prepare their home, and redirect my life for the short term.

As I am sure you can imagine, the housesitting world is quite shut down right now. My standard housesitting websites that are regularly a bounty of options if not in the neighborhood at least in the region are simply not available. I am fortunate that my mom offered for me to stay with her and so earlier this week I once again packed up the SUV and trekked from Austin to the midwest.

So here I am hunkered down in my mom’s guest bedroom surfing through some of my regular life of tending to my remote work. And like the rest of us, doing my best to stay informed while keeping that balance of not “too much.”  I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t taking a toll on me. Like I am sure many of you out there, I feel anxious, nervous and overwhelmed while also simply doing my best to stay centered and at ease.

As a full-time solo traveler for much of this decade and a remote worker these past years, it would be fair to say that I have some experience with isolation. At times it can be joyful and satisfying. At other times a bit trying and maddening. Over the years I’ve done my best to appreciate the opportunity in it, seek the joy in it. That said, I can’t deny that yes, while our current circumstances are temporary, there is an unmistakable ring of confusion and anxiety in the air that makes it challenging for me to just sink in and enjoy the time.

That said, here are some of the things that I regularly lean on when the world around me feels confusing or I feel disconnected or off-kilter.

1. Reiki.  Ah Reiki. I have been practicing Reiki for nearly 15 years now. It’s a regular part of me and my life and its flow through my world is akin to breathing now. With my years of travel and someone who lives with and is healing from at times paralyzing anxiety, it has been a necessary and extraordinarily useful ingredient in making my way from point A to point B in the world and overcoming challenges and moments day to day that have me at times feeling stuck, overloaded and stopped. Regular doses of Reiki for myself and others are an important fuel that forms the basis of my daily life.

Would you like to try Reiki?  Reiki is something that can be done from a distance. Just for fun, for this coming week, I will offer four 15-minute distant Reiki treatments for free. Would you like to be one of them? Simply contact me in the next couple of days and lets set that up. If you’d like to learn more about Reiki, visit my page on Reiki.

2.  Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. I have been chanting this almost daily for nearly a decade now. It’s so simple. I keep doing it because I can’t deny that when I chant things shift and I feel better. Have a little time on your hands? Try chanting for ten minutes. Here is a link to a video to show you how.

3.  Young Living Essential Oils. I have been using Young Living Essential Oils for over a year now. I love how they can shift my mood, support my health and deepen my spiritual practices. I am leaning heavily on Thieves oil at this time. The history of this oil goes back to the plague when thieves used this combination of oils to protect them from illness. I’ve had some amazing experiences with Young Living Thieves oil myself including stopping a severe reaction to mold in its tracks. Follow the link if you’d like to learn more. And feel free to reach out with questions.

4. Ho’oponopono. My trusted Reiki teacher just reminded me today of this prayer and Hawaiin practice. It can be used for others, for ourselves, current circumstances and those from the past. Surely we can all use a little forgiveness at this time for ourselves and others.  I know I can. It goes like this: I’m sorry, please forgive me, thank you, I love you.

Well, that’s all for now from coronavirus in the heartland. My life once again recently rearranged.  I’m in it with all of you… laying low, watching some movies and doing my best to stay centered and connected with powerful tools and practices.

I am cuddled up in my quiet new digs in the latest stop on my house and pet sitting adventure. This new journey that launched me from Dallas, Texas has taken me to the coast of Wilmington, NC and the busy Virginia “suburbs” of DC. Next, I landed in the Boston, MA area where I happened upon a series of pet sitting opportunities which kept me in the beautiful but “a bit too chilly” Northeast for over month. I departed just recently and am now happily resting in Michigan for a few weeks caring for a fluffy friendly kitty and an enthusiastic assembly of hens.

In my travels and meeting people who travel, I was always curious about exploring house and pet sitting. When I landed in Asheville, NC for a few years, as I got a little restless, it was steadily on my mind. So when it was time to leave my temporary abode in Dallas it seemed only natural to throw my hat into the house and pet sitting ring. It started with securing one gig… then another and another.

So far, my traveling times as a pet and house sitter have been of the satisfying mellow variety. I’ve enjoyed the simple happiness of residing in “four new walls,” the steadfast company of some friendly furry creatures, and the leisurely exploration of my new scenery and surroundings. In a lot of ways, it’s been and continues to be an important time to regroup – lean on the spiritual practices I love including Reiki, get rest and nurture myself, and continue to tend to the fires, challenges and interests of my “inner world.” Along the way, I’ve had the pleasure of connecting with a few welcome faces from the past.

It’s been fun from time to time to take a little outing, a trek to someplace new in my latest temporary hood.  Whether it’s connecting with a local Art of Living group for long Kriya, taking in a little jazz at the local piano summit, or diving into the beauty of nature… “getting out” and “getting away” in an easy, “no-stress” way is an important part of the journey.

As always, the rhythm of my life and journey is met with my own challenges with overwhelm, anxiety and fatigue. Being a steadfast caretaker of my health in ways that feel natural, supportive and healthy to me are a big part of my daily way. No matter where I go, I rely on the simple things like my joyful geekiness in seeking out the local natural and organic stores (there are about FIVE or SIX DIFFERENT ones in my latest location!!).

More recently, in the past year or so, I have added Young Living Essential Oils to my daily natural health dance. It is a true joy to be so gentle with myself using and experimenting with the oils to soften the constant nervous tensions often locked in my body. Recently I made an essential oil spray from Lavender, Peppermint, Frankincense, Panaway and Copaiba Young Living essential oils combined with a natural fractionated coconut carrier oil. It makes such a difference to start and end the day with them. Since adding this practice I have days and moments when I am just so aware and appreciate the ease present in my body that simply wasn’t available or accessible to me before.

It’s a mostly rainy day today in my latest abode. There’s been a lot of rain lately. I am using it as an excuse to take it slow and am fortunate to be sitting in the midst of a beautiful glass sunroom as I peck away at my computer.

So long for now from the “it’s a little too chilly for Spring” land in the Northern US.

I pulled a few cards this morning, as I sometimes do, from a guidance deck (www.colettebaronreid.com). The first card was “Compass” with the message saying that I am in unchartered territory and the importance of staying pointed to True North (God, Spirit, Buddha Nature). Plus a reminder that those other things – money, property, prestige, romance – can’t help you find your true path. They are just things you may experience along the journey. All helpful reminders.

So here I am in unchartered territory, the coast of North Carolina to be more precise. As my temporary Dallas abode quickly wrapped up, I was fortunate to get a brief housesitting opportunity in a North Carolina coastal town. So I went through the familiar but not quite fun process of undoing the little life I had set up in Dallas, shrunk my belongings back to car-size, neatly packed up my vehicle and was on my way.

Transitions are never easy for me. During uncertain times there is one thing I can be certain of – that I will need to lean heavily on my collection of spiritual resources to make it through. My favorites include my practice of Reiki, my chanting practice with SGI and the delightful and supportive aromatherapy of Young Living products.

The bright side, of course, is that in this space of great change and uncertainty my mind, body, soul and being don’t have to stay in a rut. While my travel wheels feel a bit rusty after being mostly still for a few years in the Asheville area, it undoubtedly does me some good to let go a little bit, move out and about and shift.

For now, I am in a comfortable bed in a house on a quiet tree-lined street with the companionship of a sweet black fluffy dog equally grateful for my company. I am here just for the short term. Enough time for a few good walks on the beach, the smell of the fresh sea air. And then, on to more house sitting!

Where it will go from here is still quite a mystery to me!  Sometimes this uncertainty bothers me and… sometimes I find myself just more comfortable with it all. As my dedicated Reiki teacher always reminds me, allow things to unfold. When we try to plan, project and figure it all out mostly we end up with a ball of stress, but likely not any creative solutions. So I plan some. I tend to the practicalities that are needed. I seek and explore. And yes, I sometimes end up in a ball of stress! But then I do my best to put those things aside and lean on the things I know I can count on – the sound of “nam myoho renge kyo” reverberating through my body, the comfort of Reiki energy bringing back a renewed sense of equilibrium.

For today, it looks like rain. From the looks of things so far, the intense lounging of the dog by my side and my own casual feel, I think it will be a quiet day for us both today. A little work. A little tending to things and exploration.

How about you? Any new territory being explored in your life?  How do you nurture yourself during times of great change and uncertainty?

Bye for now from my unchartered territory on the coast of North Carolina.

It’s the New Year and I find myself in unexpected territory. I am curled up in my bed indulging in an extended Saturday morning. But there are no mountains outside my window. No cold North Carolina winter breeze barking through my door. I am, of all places, in Texas.

Why am I in Texas you may ask? Well, as things tend to go with my life I was, let’s just say… redirected. As you may know I was living in the Asheville, NC area, Hendersonville to be exact, in a simple ground floor apartment. One particularly rainy wet morning I got up to what I assumed would be an ordinary day and instead was greeted by a pool of water in my kitchen. A good size puddle. I soon discovered that this watery invasion was not just in the kitchen but throughout the apartment… in the living room, the bedroom, the bathroom. I called my landlord who lived upstairs in the home above me and she scurried down to clean up the water and I began to pack my things. As the rain continued to come down and we were more than saturated in recent years with rain, we weren’t sure what might unfold.

In the end, it wasn’t much. But it was enough… to wreck the apartment and require my landlord discern how and if she would move forward with repairs. As I could no longer live there, we parted amicably and I hit the road.

All my things fit in my SUV. Thankfully I was still sort of living my gypsy ways. Hesitant to buy things. Not liking to have “too much” or burden myself with belongings. The apartment came furnished, so with just a moderate amount of discomfort and unexpected effort on an early rainy morning, I was packed up and out the door.

I spent a few days at a friend’s home in Asheville then headed to the midwest to visit family and stayed with my mom for a few weeks. I returned to Asheville for a business meeting and then… I went to Texas. Texas wasn’t exactly part of the “plan.” But it was a generous offer from a friend in my Reiki community for an available and safe place to land. With a bit of exhaustion but fair degree of willingness, I made my way.

The backside of this story is the idea of change was in the air. I hadn’t traveled in the two years I had been in Asheville and was hungry for some new scenery. I had been feeling stuck and in a rut, yet wasn’t sure what to do about it. In comes a solution, as unexpected and inconvenient as it may be.

I’ve been here a few months now. This diversion has offered a taste of freshness and newness I was needing. But it has also been a big adjustment. Instead of hearing the sounds of nature, I hear the buzz of the busy road nearby. In my first week I managed to accidentally drive on two toll roads and run a red light that had a traffic camera on it. One day for reasons beyond my understanding, my GPS started speaking Spanish.

So here I am, tucked in my temporary Texas abode. There’s a fire in the fireplace and the roar of local traffic outside my window. As I awaken into 2019, I am on a detour of sorts and not quite sure where the road is going. With much gratitude and some anxiety along the way, I am doing my best to go with the flow in the New Year.

It’s a quiet Sunday morning.  Just what I’m in the mood for this week.  I am writing from a slightly different location than earlier Asheville posts.  A little over a month ago I learned I would have to move again.  So I prepared to depart from my cozy North Asheville abode to someplace… at the time still to be determined.

I have to admit when my current “landlords” and house-sharers told me they were leaving Asheville which meant I too would have to move, I felt that spark of excitement in being open to a new place to live and new territory.  After further exploration into the Asheville rental market, that spark diminished as I felt less enthusiastic and optimistic about what was available at a price I could afford.

After a little blood, sweat (no tears thankfully) and a lot of chanting, I was very fortunate to find a modest but cute, safe affordable little place in a neighboring town called Hendersonville.  Hendersonville is part of the growing collection of towns surrounding Asheville that are attracting new people and a growing transplant population.  Just 30 minutes south of downtown Asheville, it’s a bit of a quieter, slower older town with it’s own downtown and a spirit of it’s own. Admittedly, it can be a bit more “rough” around the edges than Asheville.  For example, there’s a Guns and Amo store located conveniently just down the street from my new neighborhood.  But the people are undoubtedly kind and friendly and I’m grateful to be here… for now… you know how that goes.

I am enjoying a much needed, deeply introverted weekend.  After a busy few weeks and recently learning of some big changes with my contract job and employer (including fewer hours for me), it stirs up ideas of what I want to develop with work and life at this time.  I went by the bookstore in search of a little inspiration.  I found my way to the book Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert and so far it’s been just the ticket for some pretty thick reminders about creativity and life.

Her book brings to light some things I’d kind of lost track of …. in my recent busy-ness tending to regular life, work and deadlines.  She reminded me about the gentle importance of curiosity and that when exploring new options and opportunities it’s much easier and more fun to explore my curiosity rather than trying to “get it right.” And she’s also reminded me of the joy of being open to the inherent creative nature in all of us and the magic in life that comes with that. Tapping in to that in some way is a really important part of being happy in life.  I know it is for me.

She shared a nearly unbelievable anecdote about a “big magic” experience she had with author Ann Patchett and her book State of Wonder.  I was totally lost in the content of her story and then was startled to notice that the very book she was talking about was sitting right next to me on my bed stand –  a gift from a friend waiting for me to read.  A little bit of magic right there.

As I explore additional/new work opportunities and options, in addition to other things, I have added a new “page” to my blog highlighting my writing skills and experience.  In addition to writing for marketing and business, as well as writing this blog, I realized recently that I really love to write for people and help them communicate what’s important to them in a fun, clear or interesting way.

In the spirit of curiosity and exploration regarding future work opportunities and ideas, while I have my own thoughts…I am curious… if you have any ideas to share. Knowing a bit of my life and work experience and looking at what’s next… what would you further explore and/or develop in the realm of work life?  Any ideas or even opportunities to share?  I’d love to hear from you! Feel free to share in the comments below or write to me via my contact page.

With that I leave you for now… to my day of quiet introspection and little magic. If you’re curious to check out the book Big Magic, I highly recommend it.  It’s a satisfying reminder of the limitless opportunity for creativity in all of our lives