So I guess I'm not quite ready to change the name of this blog yet...
I've had a wonderful two months at my parents' home in Oregon while readjusting to American culture and getting used to life outside of a monastery... 2+ months filled with camping trips in the woods/mountains with my parents,
visits to friends and grandmothers, raspberry-blueberry-blackberry-picking, jam-making, playing marimba,
going to the farmers' market, a day at the beach,
a friend's wedding, sorting through the boxes
of stuff I have stored in the attic, pesto-making, a mozzarella cheese experiment, a little bit of gardening, and babysitting the kids in the community - mostly the very calm and adorable Amada (8 mos). In other words: lots of things to keep me
occupied and help me avoid planning my next move... :\
But after the celebratory festivities of my dad's 60th birthday and one final camping trip, it's on the move again for me -- this time in my new super-classy gold 1998 Toyota Camry with leather seats and fake wood trim... It's a cross-country road trip to Massachusetts to be reunited with the other bits of my life and decide where to go (or see where it takes me) from there.
I envision: living in the country/city outskirts. living simply. living in community - even better, a community with spiritual values. being part of a religious community (church, small groups, etc.). living close enough to an urban area to be able to take advantage of what it offers - cultural and educational opportunities. plenty of access to quiet outdoor space. working with kids (esp. 7-11 yr-olds). working outdoors. gardening. improving my folk-guitar skills. taking some classes, get some training to increase my knowledge and skills re:gardening/working with kids/communicating, figuring out if i want/need to go to grad school/seminary...
If you have any ideas about places/towns, organizations, networks, farms, communities, programs, jobs, people, resources, I'd love it if you could point me in their direction!
I imagine the next few months will be more unsettled than I'd prefer,
but hopefully my visions and dreams and trust in god's goodness will keep me going and lead me
through it to a place of firmer rootedness...
