Category Archives: Spiritual

The Road to 65, Mile 262: Safe Havens

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Posted by on in Social, Spiritual, Travel

August 17, 2015, Prescott- Yes, today was better than yesterday, and, as an online friend pointed out, it might be a good idea to stay in one place for more than a fortnight, if I want it to feel like home.  I got everything accomplished today that had to be kicked down the road, yesterday.

I want to make another A-Z post.  This time, it’s about places where I actually do feel at home, and safe.

A- Amarillo, because I know right where to head, to “sit a spell”; Anacortes, which is on the short list of places I’d consider, if I need to leave my present community; Albuquerque, where I’ve had some of the most enjoyable vacations, back in the day.

B- Bellingham, a most pleasant spot in which to wait for a ferry; Bisbee, the second-most relaxing place in Arizona; Boston, because it is truly a Hub of Learning and cultural explosion.

C- Carlsbad(CA), where I can always find a welcome, no matter how late it is at night; Claytor Lake, the Virginia spot where two rangers took me in, at 11 PM, on a Sunday night, when I was beside myself with emotional pain; Chicago, because it is majestic and amazing, and I feel safe, actually, no matter what part of town I’m in.

D- Denver, always a place for a good time and connecting with the salt of the Earth; Durango (CO), and may the blessed Animas be healed;

E- Enid, as fine a place to rest and connect with a friend, as I’ve ever known; El Paso, I can sit around here, too, and jabberjaw for quite a while.

F- Fort Worth, one of the friendliest big cities I’ve visited; Flagstaff, because it’s just my second home.

G- Glendale (AZ), four months a year, one of the most relaxing and walkable downtowns in AZ; Glenwood Springs, a comforting steam bath always awaits.

H- Honolulu, misty and ever magical; Hagerstown, a must-stop respite, from the pell-mell rush of BosWash; Hermosillo, the first place I ever visited in Mexico.

I- Inglewood, the resting place of the first Baha’i in the U.S., where I was greeted by a red-tailed hawk.

J- Jasper, one of the loveliest spots in Canada; Juneau, because of the hostel, and Mendenhall; Jeju, my first real Asian home.

K- Ketchikan, frenetic, by Alaskan standards, but still filled with good-hearted people; Keams Canyon, because I got to know Penny there.

L- Lille, working-class and down-home France; Lynn, because so many family members are still there, and it’s the Beach; Luxembourg, the most welcoming party place, ever.

M- Moscow (ID), because people begged me to hang out there a while longer; Manitou Springs, for the same reason; Memphis, because, St. Jude’s, and Beale.

N- New Orleans, nothing more need be said;  Nashville, homey and loving.

O- Oceanside, the Rock Walk rocks; Oklahoma City, the only place where I was invited to a County Employees’ Picnic; Ocean Springs, just a calm and homey place to meet a friend.

P- Prescott, more of a home than I sometimes acknowledge; Phoenix, because so much of me is still there; Philadelphia, because of Germantown, the river, and my extended family; Portland, because it’s ever in bloom.

Q- Quincy (IL), the trees, the river, and the Ali family.

R- Reno, because my soul family is there; Rouen, my roots run deep.

S- San Diego, my California home; Saugus (MA), the core of my family; Strasbourg, my Alsatian brothers and sisters; Sedona, the most relaxing place in Arizona; Sitka, because it is a place truly apart.

T- Tallahassee- a surprise around every corner; ; Tucson, because my friends are always glad for my presence; Tuba City, where I first connected with Native Americans, on a deep level, and where we first had a married home.

U- Utah Beach, always a place of honour and reverence.

V- Versailles, both excessive resplendence and down-to-Earth goodness; Vicksburg, a reminder of how things can go wrong, and be made right again, over time; Victoria, an honest and well-balanced little city.

W- Washington, despite all the bluster and phoniness, underneath it’s an exquisite city; Wenatchee- the consummate survivor town; Wrangell, because it felt like home, before I left the boat.

X- Xenia, an Ohio town with enormous heart.

Y- Yellowstone, no more magical place exists, anywhere.

Z- Zion, a different side of Illinois.

Of course, I could list more such places, like Bruges and Bastogne, but you get the point, if you’ve read this far.

The Road to 65, Mile 261: Trusting the Journey

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Posted by on in Personal goals, Spiritual

August 16, 2915, Prescott-  It is coming down to a very telling choice.  Perhaps as early as November, maybe not until January, 2017, or at some point in between the two, my intuition is telling me it’s time to move on.

I say November, because by then, my pledges to the Yavapai County Angels and Hope Fest will have been honoured, the snows will be gathering in Massachusetts, and I don’t want to leave my mother alone, in that house where we grew up, while the rest of my family is facing stresses of their own.

I say it’s time to move on, because all my friends in this town of Prescott are doing just fine, and will continue to be fine whether I’m here or not.  Truth is, I am spending more, in a modestly expensive apartment, with minimal day-to-day work, then I have in any given month on the road, these past few years. I am not a salesman, yet I have looked to help people with a product in which I believe, but without seed money, one cannot do much in establishing an essential oils trade, and I am NOT going to go the “Fund Me” route.  I have been offered a minimum wage position as an apartment complex manager, but would still have to pay my own full rent- so that’s out.

I have had some places come into my head, in quiet moments.  I could settle in a more economical living space, live in a place where  I could pretty much walk to a school, where I could substitute teach, and a few such places have entered my consciousness.  I could also go somewhere where people live in community, not in semi-anonymity.  Places where my presence would be discomfiting to people I know online or in real time, and there are a few such people, would not be on my list of options.

These are all rather petty-sounding, I know, and many have it far worse than me.  The issue for me, though, is more existential.  It’s more a matter of no place having really felt like home, since Penny passed.  It’s more a matter of people having their own priorities and life patterns, in which someone like me does not belong.  I know, that will be the same, no matter where I go, and that will be something I have to face.  My welcome here, though, is wearing thin, and so it’s time to trust the journey and start planning ahead.

UPDATE:  I will be removing a couple of photos from a post I did on Santa Monica, a few weeks ago, and hopefully the post will be less discomfiting to those concerned.