Paul is “home”. He pulled up this morning to two happy dogs and one very happy girlfriend. It’s a long drive – 2,000 miles in a U-Haul by oneself. Still, he feels good. A little tired, but good. Real good. We both do. Good and thankful! Plus, it is a Sunday to boot. We love Sundays on the Bay. The first thing we did was take the dogs for a walk along the water.
Tomorrow, with help from a couple of college guys, we unload and organize what is left of our belongings. We are officially sans property. Some people have said we are crazy to relinquish the American Dream. I say we haven’t, really. Now, we get to take care of other people’s American Dreams. We are free to travel from home to home, taking care of each one as if it were our own. I feel a new tagline coming on…
Sorry we didn’t get to see Paul more or help out while he was here. Happy Turkey Day!
Eat til you burst!
http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=64026&forumID=7&archive=0
Cheers
Jim & Francoise
Jim,
For some reason your comment was trapped in the spam filter – I have to check it every few days or so. We had a yummy and mellow Thanksgiving – hope you did as well.
Still unpacking and organizing; it is pretty amazing that Paul managed to narrow our stuff down to a U-Haul. Now our earthly treasures mainly consist of books, videos, photos and CD’s. And more books…
Hope all is well on Bear Mountain. Paul is dancing to “Poetry in Motion” while cooking sweet and sour shrimp in the kitchen : )
V&P
PS That link was pretty gross. Thanks for sharing!
i think giving up the “American Dream” is the smartest thing anyone can do.
It has definitely been a good move for us. Neither a borrower nor a lender be…
What a great name for a town. Onset. According to The Random House Dictionary, it means a beginning or start. Very apt for your new life.
It also means an assault or attack, which also seems to me something you are doing – moving forward while beating back the forces in society that tend to hem us in and trap us in specific, known behaviors. Bravo for you both.
Wow. Thank you sharing your thoughts, Sean, which so often lead to more and deeper ponderings on my end.
Taking all of my books out of boxes and placing them on new shelves has allowed me to joyfully revisit old favorites, one being Voluntary Simplicity by Duane Elgin. Voluntary Simplicity was written almost thirty years ago and has been revised since. I am quoting from the back cover…
“By embracing, either partially or totally, the tenets of voluntary simplicity – frugal consumption, ecological awareness, and personal growth – people can change their lives. And in the process, they have the power to change the world”.
V
wishing i had the courage to do what you did. how did you BOTH get on board to this adventure? i mean, ‘i’ could easily do this but how to get the hubby on board? we are both unemployed, two dogs, renting an old house built in 1910 – it’s charming but it’s not ours and that’s okay. i’m 41 and i need a new “ONSET” of sorts. *sigh* – you truly are living the dream. cheers to you both and best wishes for a great year!
Hi Rachel! You would be surprised at the opportunities…there are caretaking positions available all around the world. Some are paid positions, others are an even trade. While it is trickier finding something with two dogs, it is certainly not impossible. My two favorite sites are http://www.caretaker.org and http://www.housecarers.com. It costs around $25 or so for an annual membership. You can go online and see samples of what is out there without paying first. I did this throughout my twenties and mentioned it to Paul one day just for fun, having no idea he would be up for it at the time! Who knows, maybe you two will catch the caretaking bug – whatever you do, please keep me posted…
Valynne and Paul,
Live your DREAM, know you are missed. Love the quote on voluntary simplicity.
Be Well, Be Happy, Simply Live,
Mary Pat
Thank you, Mary Pat; it is great to hear from you. It felt strange, not handing out soap samples during the Downtown Evergreen Christmas Walk this year…we are very much enjoying this new adventure but every so often a meloncholy sigh escapes while thinking of the Colorado people and places we are missing out on this Holiday Season…alas, can’t be everywhere all of the time! xox
Ah….the American Dream? What is that? I guess it’s different for every person and every family. Live YOUR dream, not everyone else’s, and thou shalt find peace and happiness and pure unadulterated joy.
Happy holidays.
Catherine
Yes – dreams differ and are ever evolving. In this case, I was referring to “The American Dream” in general terms, and am quite happy that home and property ownership is still a priority for most of us Americans; Paul and I would not be living this present dream of ours otherwise. Realizing ones dreams and acting upon them is one delicious recipe for all of the above, methinks. Pure unadulterated joy…I like the sound of that! Happy Holidays,
V
love the quote of simplicity. i can only imagine how free you must feel now. Most people live their lives wishing to have a beautiful home in evergreen, like you and paul had only to find out that it is not the dream at all. it kind of traps you, so to speak. i have found that out the hard way. but, at least i found it out 🙂
all the best,
alane
For most of us (meaning myself and the people I’ve actually talked about this kind of stuff with) it almost always comes down to living within our means. How I have struggled with this concept! Now more than ever, I feel that the freedom from obsessing over debt feels way better than the new car, the big house, etc. etc…
Hi there! Your contest has inspired me to comment. I know you two are living a beautiful and inspiring life out there on the cape, but I also know how much peace you are bringing to the traveling family who had to say goodbye to their house, and especially their greyhounds, for a while. I used to be a vet tech, and then I owned my own pet sitting business for a while. I know exactly the kind of peace and comfort you and Paul are bringing to the owners of those dogs. Personally, I cannot enjoy a vacation without knowing that my own furry family is in good hands while I’m gone. It’s priceless. Greyhounds are such gentle, loving, and sensitive dogs too. I know they are appreciating your attention and kindness while their owners are away.
Cheers from Evergreen,
Heather
Heather, that is SUCH an important observation! We all want to know (or hope, anyway) that we are doing good in the world. And when doing good for others does good for us, that is, as they say in pinball, a double-bonus score.
I don’t know if I ever told P & V how much I admire them for “taking the bull by the horns” and changing their life to be the way they want it to be, not letting it be changed by outside forces into something they don’t desire.
Important observations and double-bonus scores all around! Rapport. It is a beautiful thing. BTW, this blog costs only time and creative juice…just in case any of you are contemplating a blog of your own…
I don’t remember you ever mentioning anything specific around our life-change, Sean. However I always got the impression you thought it was pretty cool : ) Thanks for putting it into words.
I am happy you were inspired to write, as it is always a treat to hear from you, Heather. House and pet sitting has been mutually rewarding over the years. You have inspired me to write a blog about favorite house and pet sits from my twenties : )