Sometimes a girl’s just gotta say, WHOA!  Three full years of full time travel, two weeks in Ecuador, two recent weeks with family…all spectacular…all pointing to a period of rest and reflection. Many times when I need answers to questions, important questions, I have been given answers. These answers have risen up from a beautiful, trustworthy yet oftentimes subtle place within me.   As long as I LISTEN, the guidance comes.  Well, as you might imagine, when there is a great deal of noise and activity, it can be difficult to hear the response you are seeking.
     These three years, especially the last six months, for me have been fraught with surprises, excitement, amazing opportunities, wonderful new friends, self realizations and even a few eye-opening life lessons.  All of these have enabled me to not only create amazing memories that will last me the rest of my life, but to create a ‘ME’ that is, I believe, much more authentic than ever before. This ME is filled with a peaceful gratitude and a warm contentment as well as a kind of serene exhilaration.  One thing coming up in my life that I received very clear guidance about is that, as of mid summer, I will be winding down my full-time travel to settle somewhere so I can put all my energy into writing my book.  The where has been a real dilemma ever since I made the decision over 4 months ago.  I knew that when I needed to know…I would know!
     My month in New Mexico was planned with the intention that before I headed back east on April 29th, I would know!  I had already done a little research since the first of the year and had a sketchy idea of a city that might work.  It fit most of the criteria that I set as ideal living conditions for being able to author a truly inspired piece of work.  So, I figured that was that and I began to look into places to rent.
     Within a couple weeks of being quiet enough to hear and willing enough to listen, my answer came.  I was prepared for some level of confirmation for my already ‘while I was busy with life’ probable choice.  It was not at all what I expected.  I actually resisted the idea for a brief period of a couple days.  Experience has taught me that resistance is absolutely futile…in any situation.  This was no different.  My plan: settle in or around the Asheville, NC area…temperate weather, the Great Smoky Mtns., lakes and rivers, a culturally rich atmosphere, kinda funky, etc.  My answer:  Albuquerque!  As in New Mexico!
     Having gotten past the shock and resistance, I sat with the whole idea and it made perfect sense, I think!  There I went, trying to figure out the ‘reason’.  My mind meandered and landed in the practicality of the following thoughts.  The chances of me hunkering down for hours of daily contemplating, soul searching, writing and rewriting in a brand new town that was packed with things to do and places to see and people to meet seemed quite unlikely.  Then there’s the getting accustomed to the area.   The bottom line:  who knows, right now anyway, why I am being guided to live in Albuquerque while writing my book…certainly not I!  If I had waited until I totally understood WHY I’ve been guided to make the decisions I have made in my life…I’d still be wondering what to do after high school!!!
     Two of my favorite quotes-and there have been many-that have inspired my ultimate life choices are:
1) “What lies behind you and what lies in front of you pales in comparison to what lies within you”…Ralph Waldo Emerson and
2) “What if I fall?  Oh, but my darling, what if you fly?”…Erin Hanson
     With that being said, I have secured an apartment in Albuquerque just two blocks from the Sandia Mountain foothills.  It is close enough to everything I could possibly need, but far enough away from the hustle and bustle to nurture my ‘beingness’ enabling me to concentrate on what I am passionate about at this juncture in my life…writing my book (more about that later).  I will be traveling somewhat over the next couple of months to North Carolina, Maryland, Delaware, Rhode Island and possibly a trip to the Canadian side to experience Niagara Falls.
     My apartment will be available mid July, so come July 5th, I will be driving back to Albuquerque to embrace yet another chapter in my blessed life.  I plan to continue blogging with a slightly different focus once I get settled in!  In the meantime, several more Van-Go traveling adventure posts!!!
     Next post…ABQ Bright Spot