There is a comfort to be had in the settled life.
While I feel more that this is a temporary rest in an ongoing travel lifestyle, I can’t say I don’t like it. Hell, I lived for most of my life as a settled person, finally making good on that promise to Travel Someday I made to myself so many years ago.
There is a certain ease of routine, of getting up at the same time, knowing about what you are going to do that day, and not really expecting to see anything you haven’t seen before. When you open the fridge, there is some food, and it’s yours, you can eat it without checking it for names of possession. You may have even purchased it days ago, and are only now able to consume it. A certain luxury, if you will. It seems that I spend quite a bit of time when I was backpacking trying to keep track of my food. Did that overly cheerful hippie girl snag my kombucha when I went sightseeing yesterday afternoon? Did that starved guy of uncertain ethnic background make off with my cheese? Did that entitled frat boy think he could just lift my leftover pizza? Hmm, I suppose I didn’t really need that cheese… Anyways, you see my point.
These days, I move only in small spaces, traveling around a house. I am currently without a vehicle, in a place that had archaic notions of public transit. That, and they seem to have an unusually high level of well off twits who can afford several cars. That last bit might be just the envy talking. Though, there are more cop cars driving around here than I am used to seeing. I suppose when one moves from the grungy area of Calgary to the distanced division of Edmonton surrounded by horse owning well-to-do’s, one can expect a little more Presence. With the knowledge that I am here for the winter, and can’t just pick up and move off if my dog offends someone, I have been trying to discourage her from chasing cats. This has absolutely no effect on her behaviour yet, but I keep trying. Dog does like the wooded parks here, and I do like to see here dashing through the trees and snow after rabbits, so all is not lost for her.
Mostly, I have been centering. I feel that I am pulling back in, bringing all those aspects of myself together. It is easy to get spread out on the road, different parts of myself with different people, different roads that I could have gone down. This time of rest is a good thing, perhaps even a necessary thing. With this done, I will be in a better place to venture forth again next summer.
I am still managing to keep busy. Don’t think its all a life of snow-bound leisure! I have been working on some new projects I hope to unveil this summer. I have come to the realization that I don’t want a real job, and probably never will. I don’t want to go to an office, and punch a clock, and get the steady paycheck. I am willing to forego certainty of income for freedom of time, and ability to just pick up and take off. This takes a little extra work to get it all started, but I have high expectations. And high hopes.
So! Temporarily settled, but not idle. And buying fabric…
Wherever you are, Be There 