8 months ago, It all began with a thought: What if we could create a life where we can joyfully bring our work to the world, live in community, and live in a home that brings us joy on a daily basis? It was a solution to increasing distress in our LaConner house–you can read all about it from the start of this journey. And now we happen to be back in the Pacific Northwest, close to where it all started, yet far enough away to be in a new community, with new resources, friends to make, and most of all, another level of being in the world. Like the picture taken on a frozen river near Twin Falls, Idaho, where once we saw a frozen, impenetrable, inaccessible river of old thoughts, habits and ideas that no longer worked, we now see an opportunity to ride that river…no matter what! And why?
Because we now see how we are world citizens, you are our community, and home is literally where the heart is. Our hearts are with the world…so we can choose to live in any physical place we desired.
So, we desired to live for a time back in the beauty of a seaside world, close to our brood and extended family, but with access to the broader world. We discovered we can travel anywhere and be welcomed with open arms and hearts. And, with the amazing power of the internet, there are literally no boundaries between us! So our way of work and connection to the world will become a combination of local work, traveling to work, and sitting over coffee and communicating with the world wide web of soul family.
As is my usual way of going about creating next steps, I landed on our current temporary cottage in the woods of South Whidbey Island by a combo of whim and longing. The longing was for our family. For instance, the East coast seemed more and more faraway from my elder mom, who was distressed about both of her daughters living 3000 miles away. So, on a whim, I looked into Craigslist homes-for-rent in an area I’ve always loved to visit: South Whidbey Island, WA. It’s quiet and quirky and beautiful here. There are many trails and hiking spots we love. There are some seriously wild beaches, and calm and quiet ones–depending on our mood, a good stormy beach can facilitate a good aura cleansing!
You may note I stated SOUTH Whidbey island, instead of Whidbey Island in toto. There is reason for that, which brings me to a confession as to yet another reason we left our home of 20 years. I’ve not really shared this with you all because I did not want to offend anyone out there by my discriminating desires, but I now realize that my tastes and desires and out and out needs are different from yours and yours and yours…and no offense need be taken. Duh. I think my compassion can make me a little too PC (politically correct–remember that term?) for my own good….anyway…
Our old home was a 45 minute drive to Whidbey Naval Air Base: home of military jets with names such as Prowlers, Growlers, Intruders and such. Ok, no problem so far…especially if I wasn’t living nearby and did not have to put up with the defining roar (“the Sound of Freedom”, the base sign says) on an ongoing basis. But the truth was discovered 2 days into our moving into our 20 year LaConner home: Awakened in the night by what sounded like a war outside our window, the window-shaking roar continued into the wee hours of the morning, and thus we discovered how we were actually 3 miles as the crows and jets fly from the base and….right on their touch-and-go practice flight path. 9:00 PM to 2 or 3:00 AM, Spring through Fall nights. Oh my.
Ever since my children were born, I’ve become a light sleeper–noise of any kind will still keep me awake and wondering what is going on out there. No amount of ear-plugging will help either: I seem to be on some sort of constant alert system: “How is everyone doing?” my mamma consciousness asks. So add the big big noise of the jets, and my sleep habits took a serious dive. I realize some people are not bothered by this awful noise–our kids didn’t seem to be, most neighbors were fine with it, some were even exhilarated by it. But I was, and Jim increasingly was, and it was time for a change to peace and quiet. So we left the house in June, and I’ve found how much I love quiet nights. A distant train horn, an owl, the wind or pattering rain: no problem.
South Whidbey Island is out of the “noise zone”–yes there is a noise boundary on a map, look it up. So here we are in a temporary cottage, and it’s delightfully quiet!
We arrived on Whidbey, and our labyrinthine wandering continued with a search for a possible new home in a popular place , and we once again became discouraged with what we thought we could afford here: dark houses, far from public transportation or the villages…until we hit the seaside. The world opened up for us on one of the beaches near the ferry terminal to the mainland. Saw a little house that could work. But the house was rented out already. Argh. OK. But this is what we want!” we declared. Muddled around varying lists on the interent. Didn’t find anything, walked the labyrinth some more and then….
We got clear. We declared what we wanted as individuals and as a couple. Made adjustments in our thinking about our work and what we can afford and so on. I took one more look on a list I had been to before, upped the rental price a smidge and voila! Found a lovely small beach house a 15 minute walk to a commuter ferry and a small village. The neighbors greeted us warmly (89 year old Peter even played his concertina for us as we walked through the house, a sound I can stand once in awhile 
). From the living/dining/kitchen windows and deck we see: ferries floating by, whales, seabirds and neighboring eagles, the Cascade Mountain range, including Mt Baker and the tip of Mt Rainier, clamshells, driftwood, fishing boats, the city lights, the suburban lights, islands, and ok, you get it…I love what I see. More importantly, we love what we both see.
So we’ve put in our bid for a small 3 bedroom house with deep blue carpeting and charts on one wall for “wall paper”. Yep. Truly nautical through and through–which is generally not my deocrating taste, but ya know, I can love it as an example of our continued sailing through our life together. While on our road journey, we’d switch off captain and navigator roles anyway, so why not continue?
We’ll see what happens next. A move to a little bit of a home is imminent. After the move, you might get varying invites in your inbox to small soirees, retreats, bonfires and beachwalks…so look for it. I will be working the electron circuit too, ala Skype wise-woman sessions, online classes, and more: I’m a world-wide citizen, right? We’ll let you know when we are settled into the our next stop.
Winter blessings–keep stepping towards your dreams!
Elke
