Ending the Story of the Adventure

Back in June I began responding to the numerous requests to share about how we massively decluttered our lives and went on this adventure. We began in Mexico and ended with new artistic careers in Seattle.

And now I think I’m done sharing about that. I don’t mean I don’t want to talk about it anymore, I’m happy to. I’ve just said what I’ve had to say on the topic, unless someone asks for something else.

I will say one more thing, perhaps in closing, which is this:

There is something extremely powerful in releasing your possessions and setting up your life to be free to do whatever it is you are embarking on. Not owning a home, cars or stuff is tremendously liberating.

It can also be so liberating, you may not feel grounded.

Now that we have been in one place for nine months, with a car, freshly acquired furniture, and a new cat, I am enjoying the benefits that being grounded provides for me. I am feeling the kind of joy that comes not from experiencing something new and wild, like one does while traveling, but the joy that comes from a deeper place. A stillness. A serenity.

I know that some people access that deep joy while traveling. What I’ve learned about myself is that it’s my nature to nest. That stability gives me peace. I guess I’ve always known that on some level, because if given the choice when traveling, I’d rather set up camp in a small town in a foreign country and soak up the culture there rather than take a tour and try to see everything.

So although I have enjoyed the adventure, and gained immensely from living lightly in numerous places these last few years, I am happy to be home again. It’s a new home, to be sure, but it is home. And at the risk of sounding corny, I will also say I am at home with myself even more so for having made the trip.

I will continue to post Mental Margaritas here. And if in the future I am so moved to use this blog for another purpose, well then, that's what I'll do!

My thanks to those of you who asked for this conversation, communicated back to me about it, or simply participated by reading it.

Mental Margarita - Orange Leaves

What's fall doing where you live? We have never lived anywhere with such rich autumn colors and we're loving it. It's very cool how some trees started turning at the end of August, and are bare now, and some are just starting to go gold. Even bushes get into the act. (I know for some of you this is NOT news but it is to me!)

We've also never lived in a place where the end of Daylight Saving Time made such an impact. All of the sudden, it's dark at the end of the work day - not at the end of dinner.

The leaves, the light, the crispness in the air, all contribute to that sense of winter hibernation. Cuddling up and tucking in for a spell. Sleeping more. Resting. Storing up. Being quiet and at peace.

It's a good thing.