Pause for the Cause!

Howdy y'all. Long time no see! 

I am here to share with you that I am one happy camper 

and I just had to share the joy with you.

First, I want to express my gratitude to Keith for his heroics that helped get us to--and maintain--our new nest. By heroics, I mean:

A. doing more than the lion's share of the demanding physical work that living in a rig requires. It has been fun to witness how this often frustrating work, along with Keith's commitment to exercise and meditation, has transformed his body into a rather buff, but already handsome man that he is. It has also been good for Keith's peace of mind and good ol' self-'steamers' (esteem).

B. being flexible and temporarily letting go of life on the road as we knew it. While we knew it was time to take a break, maybe even an extended one, it has been a lot easier for me to adapt to our new surroundings than it has been for Keith. Our timing and temperaments are just different like that and it is times like these that I am especially cognizant and grateful for my upbringing as a mobile "army brat" which surely makes adjusting to new environs not only a heck of a lot easier, but a lot more fun too!

C. somehow having the wherewithal to live with ME in a 29' RV for 9 full months!

D. for landing part-time nursing work to enable us to enjoy an extended stay in the Land of Enchantment.

E. supporting me in pursuing a passionate new career path as a "Certified Professional Coach", as in life coaching. Keith has been nudging me toward this livelihood for years, I kid you not, but I simply was not ready as I still had so much to give non-profit organizations. Now is my time to shine as I build the business, my coaching practice and, as always, build myself. I could not do it without Keith's kind support.

Thank you, Keith, for everything, and most of all, for loving me, Rene and our extended families all these years. As we step into our 3rd decade of marriage, I hereby wish you one of our happiest wedding anniversaries yet! 21 years and growing strong! Happy Anniversary, love!

Next, I will attempt to describe a typical morning here at The Commons. After waking, I do my morning pages, yoga, pilates and meditation, then take Tina for a walk around The Commons. We say good morning to the neighbors we see, some dogs frolic a little with Tina, and with some people I stop and chat. The birds sing as people water their gardens, tend to their children or take off on bicycles. (See earlier pictures to get the visual). Some mornings I'll help someone with much worse chemical sensitivity than I have, visit a lonely horse in the barn across the field or get in a good bike ride around the nearby park that I call "Prairie Dog Park". Coming home, I'll have a protein smoothie and get to work (on Rives Carlson Coaching, that is!).

Today, it felt like Mr. Roger's neighborhood here as I checked in at The Commons House to sign up for a work shift and some dinners, did my laundry in the communal, fragrance-free laundry room, poked in on the wee ones in the kid's day care, and accepted an invitation for Tina to play with a fellow Commoner's rambunctious puppy. (Tina is still recovering).

All in all, life is really good here at The Commons, especially now that I've reminded myself that it takes time to forge relations. Being on the road did not allow for the luxury of such time. Connections formed more quickly and the freedom of the road inspired an openness in ourselves and others that 'those who stay more still' are less likely to exhibit--and understandably so.

Now that Keith and I have a foot in each of those worlds, we attempt to strike a balance and be realistic with our expectations, yielding to the necessity of the passing of time. After all, ya can't really force a garden to grow. So, with our approaching anniversary (that we are blessed to be sharing with old and dear friends), we will celebrate sweetly and in appreciation of having arrived to a wonderful place to call home, most likely for long enough to reap the fruits of our labors of love in this lovely oasis of a co-housing community!