Already, Again

I am feeling the stress of homelessness. A rather cushy homelessness, as we have been graciously hosted by many wonderful and hospitable friends but stressful nonetheless. It's hard to be me without my own space and I find it even harder to be a good partner without space for intimacy.

The period of limbo between adventures is quickly closing and I couldn't be happier about it. I have too much time to think about the things I can't accomplish and not enough time to do anything other than what is planned.

I am feeling the pull of my heartstrings, to remain in one place and be quietly in love with all these humans who care for me. I made the choice, though, to leave again. To be constantly leaving and always returning, so that no one even says "Bon Voyage" anymore and celebratory events are pointless. It's hard not to feel the fibres of my friendships strained and fraying.

I miss all the passing moments, the being together without speaking that glues together conversations and experiences. I miss my friends already, again.

Less is More

We had a garage sale this weekend and sold a bunch of things we don't need. I'm in a great headspace for purging belongings. Everything has been in storage for a year and will be for another year. Why keep it if you don't use/wear it? Why keep it if it can be replaced? Now, it's time to sort though the rest and donate to a thrift store.

It's amazing how being in the city makes me want to accumulate things! I'm fighting the urge to shop and collect every time I go out. Even online! I try to ignore advertising but it still draws me in sometimes. Mostly, I just love old, antique, vintage, used, abused, second-hand, another man's trash, thrift and flea-market finds.

It is nice to think that one day I will have a house to fill with neat stuff again but for now I am liberating myself from possessions! The less I own the less I have to move around! If you haven't noticed, life is mostly moving things from one place to another (the same can be said for farming :).

Going backpacking is going to be a new lesson in minimalism. Living in the van last winter still allowed us to have more than we needed and to collect. Living out of a backpack for 4 months will not allow that. It's hard to envision exactly what I will need in Hawai'i when I'm sitting in rainy October Vancouver.

My renewed passport just arrived!

A New Year

It is a gorgeous day here and is supposed to get up to 37 degrees! My birthday was this past Friday, the 13th, and it was so lovely. We had fresh garden pasta for dinner and watched the Perseid meteors fly overhead late at night.

Recently I received an email from my mum asking me what our plans were for when we are done at Sapo Bravo. In responding I realized that we didn't have to do the conventional thing, to move back to the city and get jobs and an apartment again. We can do anything!

We started talking about the possibility of doing more farming somewhere in the world where it isn't winter. New Zealand was discussed but we've decided that Hawaii is the place for us. We can fly directly there from Vancouver and as Canadian citizens we can stay for 6 months without trouble.

Now we are in the throes of planning another trip and it feels like we just got back from the last one! I love my life.