I'm officially nomadic!
On September 1st, 2022 I hit the road again and began another juice feast, which is still going strong. I had to make some very difficult decisions and consider myself very fortunate that my former partner of eight years is still my best friend. He and my dog-daughter Jebby take great care of each other and prefer the comfort, predictability and stability of home life. So for now, I'll be visiting them every three or four months. The first day was extremely challenging for all of us, but I know in my heart that I made the right decision. Every challenge is an opportunity for growth. I have made these life changes as slowly, kindly and compassionately as possibly. I am so grateful for all of our time together and truly believe that the best is yet to come, for all of us.
I joined TrustedHouseSitters a few months ago and offered donation-based animal communication sessions for six months following my training with Nikki Vasconez. I am thrilled beyond words to report that I'm now doing animal communication full-time! I only read my clients' animals, though. I simply enjoy the company of the animals I sit via TrustedHouseSitters. I never intentionally read animals without their humans' permission. That being said, getting to meet and care for new animals everywhere I go is far more fun than staying in hotels by myself. I also continue to camp and stay in hostels, both of which I absolutely love. From my experience, you're far more likely to meet members of your tribe in such places. I also hope to do a little couch surfing, through the Couchsurfing app.
I'm currently in Iowa for a few more days visiting my fabulous family. From here I'll drive to Missouri to visit more awesome cousins, then I'm off to Taos, NM for a pup and cat sit and potentially tea with my mother, then it's on to Phoenix to visit a great friend from school, next it's up through California for another pup sit with the incredible friends who got me started combining animal sitting with my travels, then it's north to Washington for a pup and fish sit and a visit with more awesome cousins, then back to Iowa and Chicago for the birth of my great nephew! I'm waiting to hear back on a potential kitty sit near Paris over Christmas and in January I head back to Hawaii until March! Whaaaat?!
Last night my niece and I watched a couple of movies a great improv buddy, Greg Holt and his filmmaking partner Paco Rosic made during the pandemic, Without You and An Inspired Mind. Without You is set in Paris. They're currently working on a third movie I I got to hear about yesterday! I said to my niece, "I wonder if there are any animals sits in Paris?" She said, "You could renew your vows at the Eiffel Tower!" I found one great kitty sit and applied - fingers crossed! Before you roll your eyes and grumble, "Omg, how many times can a person marry themself at the Eiffel Tower? Can you say Narcissist?" let me just say that it was incredibly healing the first time and broke an unhealthy pattern, allowing a great partner to enter my life, followed by and years of happiness and laughter, among other things, lol. It was the healthiest relationship I've had to date. Now, for the first time in my life, I have no desire to be in a relationship with anyone other than myself and it took me a very long time to reach this point. I am definitely entering a year of self-love. What better time to renew my vows to myself? I always felt fine with the fact that the tickets to the very top of the Eiffel Tower were sold out that day I recited my vows, because I figured that I was meant to someday marry a great partner up at the top. Well... what do you know? Manifesting that has been more interesting than I ever would've expected.
In 2013, my fantastic friend and children's dance teacher extraordinaire Mack Oliver and I went to London, stayed at Central Hostel (highly recommend it), had an absolute blast and later took the Chunnel to Paris for a day. About a month before we set out for London, another friend who was really into healing rituals suggested that I marry myself at the Eiffel Tower. Having been through a seemingly endless series of unhealthy relationships, I fell in love with the idea. So I wrote my vows and read them that day in Paris, on the first landing of the Eiffel Tower, about halfway up. It was a magical day complete with a boat tour of the Seine and a visit to the legendary Shakespeare and Company bookshop. Interestingly, I recently found those vows while packing. In them I promised myself:
1) To be a student of the world by maintaining an open heart and mind.
2) Everything I've been through has happened for a reason.
3) I chose this path, and now I am choosing health, wealth, peace and happiness.
4) I am beautiful and powerful just the way I am this very moment.
5) Every day I am growing.
6) I love this journey. I am the co-creator of this journey. I am the author.
7) Please God, use me as a vessel of your power and a channel for your love. I'm ready.
8) Thank you for this magical day, this magical life and everyone on this magical path.
I'm proud to say that there have been a lot of ups and downs, the worst of which was my sister being murdered, but I've continued to move in this direction. I feel my sister cheering me on, along with my dad, who always told me, "Do what makes you happy." Cyndi dying at age 43 is a constant reminder that none of us are guaranteed even one more day. If there's something you want to do, DO IT NOW. Stop worrying about what everyone will think or say. This is your life. Don't kid yourself into thinking there's plenty of time either. Time is screaming by. My nieces and nephews have gone from skateboarding and drawing mustaches on each other in their sleep to pre-med and having babies in the blink of an eye. Dig deep and haul your best self to the surface today! I finally feel like I'm capable of achieving my full potential. For a long time, my biggest fear was that I would never realize my full potential, that I would waste large portions of this lifetime underestimating myself, letting fear get the best of me, people pleasing and working more jobs I loathed while wasting my passion and creativity. But the time I spent traveling solo last year forced me to grow more than I ever imagined I could. I pushed myself through so many changes, sometimes white-knuckling a can of bear spray in one hand and a shovel in the other, lol. Charge out of your comfort zone! DO IT NOW. Make the most of everything you have. Love hard. Tell people how much you love them and what they mean to you. Take risks. Do it your way. Carpe diem.