Kathryn asked a great question in a recent comment: when is our departure date? The date has changed many times, due to truck repairs and red tape. The truck is currently undergoing conversion to veggie oil, and we expect to pick it up later this week. We can't wait to share photos and maybe some video of the conversion details! As for the red tape, VCU has finally officially hired Deb's replacement, and her last day is exactly 1 week from today! My Washington State family will be on the east coast the following weekend, a rare occasion, so it seemed natural to stay a few more days and get to see them. After that, if all things fall into place as expected, we will leave exactly on my birthday, October 14. I can't think of a cooler way to celebrate!
In another comment, Kathy Rice mentioned not having enough money to travel like this. We completely understand, believe me. So when we worry about money, I think back on something our neighbor, friend and musician
Amy Henderson said: "You'll never have enough money, but do it anyway." She was talking about having children, but we have since applied this wisdom to all of our dreams. So onward we go, wagering everything, which is crazy and exhilarating, and it may all go to hell, but we will survive.
More about survival in a moment, when I talk about Cinnamon Menendez.
About our departure--we will be heading down to GA and setting up camp for a few days at Uncle Bob and Aunt Sondra's lakehouse, which is currently inhabited by my cousin Adam. Adam and I grew up together, and it will be great to see him again! My mother and sister will be driving up from FL to visit, and will graciously be hauling a few storage items back to FL for us. I swear, only a few boxes!
After GA, we will head to Alabama to stop in and pay a visit to Deb's sister, Rebecca, her husband Steve, and their adorable young sons Greg and David.
After that, the schedule is really open and unplanned. We recently heard back from a WWOOF farm in Arizona, an hour south of Flagstaff. They need volunteers who have non-profit experience, web and computer experience, and who are interested in sustainable building methods, goats and chickens. Um, yeah! Sign us up! So we may be heading there first, though I do want to look up snow and ice conditions on the roads there. I'm a Floridian--I don't know how to drive in the snow and consider it a recipe for certain disaster. However, I've had my share of driving through hurricanes!
Speaking of non-profits... The other day Deb spoke about trying to find a part time job she could do from the road, for another regular source of income. The very next day she received an email from a partner organization with which she had worked in the past. They have enough funding to hire a part time coordinator for an amazing agency that works to coordinate efforts, communication and resources among area non-profits. This is one of Deb's fortés! We were blown away by such an instant response. What are the words for this phenomenon? The universe responding to intention? Faith and prayer? There are many names for the same thing, and it is happening more and more of late.
These kinds of blessings bring me to Karen, aka "Cinnamon Menendez." We met Cinnamon when she and Deb worked together at
Equality Virginia. This photo of Cinnamon giving Tim Kaine a kiss is completely faked, so if you're a media hound stumbling upon this blog, I'm letting you know right now that there is absolutely no history between Cinnamon and Tim and I better not see this on Entertainment Tonight! Anyway, we had a great time catching up with Cinnamon last night, sharing wine and stories. Cinnamon has gone through some tough experiences, and completely blew me away with her perspective on life. I wish, I wish, I wish I could have filmed her and caught her delivery, which is witty, sassy, energetic and completely unbridled. But I will try to do justice by paraphrasing here:
I have learned more from my losses than from my gains.
This morning I thought about this. Deb and I, by being together, are breaking with tradition, with many churches, breaking and healing with our families, our friends, our past. It is by being ourselves that we have also experienced our greatest losses and our deepest pains. But what we have learned from these losses is that we are surviving them, and I think that has given us the courage to do crazy things like sell everything, quit our jobs and roam around in an Airstream without any apparent schedule.
Your stress tells you that you care and that you are motivated.
Boy are we ever stressed! So it is rewarding to hear that it is not a fault of character, but a measurement of our care. Once, I was complaining about work, and I apologized, "Everyone is stressed about work. What do I really have to complain about? I have a good job and I can pay my bills. I am sorry for complaining." To which I received the reply, "I don't hear you complaining, I hear you trying to figure it out and make it better."
The greatest love is to never, ever go silent. Be yourself, say out loud what you need. If someone cannot respond to that, forgive them for it. But be yourself.
Too often we feel lonely and not understood. Too often we do it to ourselves, because we feel we have no right to speak up, even when complaining about our job! Or we feel that we should be understood implicitly, we've given enough clues to point the way. Forgive the separation between yourself and the people around you, and do not become separate from yourself. Cinnamon reminded me that to be silent, to disengage, is the death of relationships, whether it be with your family, friends or partner. Keep it real. And forgive. Quoting Roger Rees in
Frida, the secret to a happy marriage is "a short memory."
There was way, way more said by Cinnamon, and I will quote her in future posts. Here's a shout out to her, for the gift of her wisdom and experience!
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