A PIECE OF PAPER

“I've always felt there is something sacred in a piece of paper that travels the earth from hand to hand, head to head, heart to heart.” 

― Robert Michael Pyle, Sky Time in Gray's River: Living for Keeps in a Forgotten Place

WANDERLUST

Each day, a common routine and ritual for many of us, is going to check for mail... I mean paper mail. It has been a ritual I miss so very much and took for granted. Since becoming a traveling gypsy for over 500 days, receiving mail has become a special sacred occurrence. People always ask me how I receive mail while on the road traveling so many places.

Before I began this current adventure, a traveling nurse friend told me about a thing called a traveling mailbox. These are companies where you can have a mailing address to receive things that need to be sent to you while on the road - bills, checks, cards... things that can't be done via internet. These companies scan the mail for you to view online and then download and print if you like. They also deposit checks for you. It has been a lifesaver! The company I use is actually called Traveling Mailbox! I picked an address in Florida because I liked the idea of it, being an Ohio girl!

Many traveling nurses, RVers, digital nomads and other wanderers use services that have sprung up for a new population of people who have taken to the road most or all of the time. Since I've been seeking longer stays, I have gotten PO Boxes to actually receive cards and real mail! I have a PO Box in Maine and just got one in Georgia which is my current stop for a while. And for stays of shorter duration, I discovered you can receive mail general delivery at the post office where you are staying.

It's so nice to be able to have an address to give out and look forward to getting mail!

Find my WANDERLUST fine art print from my recent Florida adventure in MY SHOP.

Begin Anywhere. Just Begin.

Seventy three days ago I sat at a table at the title company, across from the people who had just purchased my beloved condo. It was as I had hoped - giving them the key to their new home, I felt I was passing the torch to people who were going to love the wildlife, windows & light as much as I had. My heart was happy as I walked out the door to my car packed with belongings to start an adventure I had planned. Little did I know then, that things don't always go as planned... but often end up as they are supposed to (if we are open& allow it). I set out with an open heart & mind to start my adventure. And now, instead of sitting in a cottage in snowy Michigan, I am sitting next to a wood stove in a cottage in snowy Nova Scotia. And my heart has never been happier or felt more at home. I'm a thinker, so at times I wonder if this feels so good because it's truly to be my new home, or if it's because I'm so content & happy in my heart that anywhere would feel like home..... Then I tell myself - Be still, and know.  So I stay in the moment with a thankful heart to be in such a beautiful place with friendly kind people, & I just feel blessed.

I have been wanting to blog about this adventure many times during these days, but felt overwhelmed. There are so many adventures & stories & places to talk about. Where & how to begin. So I decided to begin anywhere, but just begin. It didn't have to be chronological, the story just needed to start to be told. 

Today I'm in a wee cottage in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia Canada. It's chilly with a few snowflakes swirling outside in the air. And I'm enjoying the ritual of bringing in wood to light the wood stove to warm the cottage. It is a wonderful way to start the day - making your warmth & appreciating it so much while making fire. After the fire is started, I meditate or do yoga. And then sit by the warm wood stove with hot coffee and oatmeal.  The other day I heard a favorite Rolling Stones song & the words felt so right & true. "You can't always get what you want, but if your try sometimes you just might find you get what you need. "