It is so funny sometimes...what happens...and how that leads to other changes in emotion, psychology, motivation...and then a whole new realm of possibilities opens up before you! : )
In considering my trip to Missoula, MT I realized I was ready to start selling off the rest of my personal belongings - the things I left back in Florida before I headed out on my bicycle trip, including some of the more expensive items, like my Bernina Serger and my Vitamix.
In an e-mail to Paul Chappell I wrote "At the very least, I would really like you to meet my friends Jody and Roy who live in Missoula and were like a second set of adoptive parents while I lived there." And, as much as I would also like to see them myself, in writing that message I became "okay" with accepting the "very least" of that range of possibilities; i.e. Paul getting to meet them, even if I cannot make the trip. As I imagined using $500 for that, I realized there really are other things I need to be focusing on for whatever funds I can raise right now.
Finally, although I thought I had another couch-surfing host lined-up with more need for my help in selling their stuff as well, they decided it was not quite the right time in their life to do that. Nevertheless, with a little more planning and marketing on my part, I think I can turn that into a business/service by the time I get back here.
And, that leads to my next point: One thing has become perfectly clear to me while being here in Santa Barbara: This is definitely where I WANT TO BE! It's got its challenges, the cost of living being one of those, but it has a lot of opportunities as well. Furthermore, I wholeheartedly want to be able to continue working with Paul and eventually writing my own book(s?). For now though, there are some loose ends to tie up, so I need to be figuring out how I am going to go about doing that.
To start, I need to finish reducing down everything else I have in my storage unit in Florida. My goal is to be able to fit everything left into a vehicle that I can then drive across the country. I can approach that adventure much the same way I approached my bicycle trip, except this time, I can plan to line-up more speaking engagements along the way, hopefully to larger groups. Since I will be driving, that can make it much easier and safer for me to get from one location to another.
Of course, I'll be "Couch Surfing" again, maybe in different parts of the country this time. I have other friends and family through the middle states, so might be a good time to visit all of them.
As with the bicycle trip, it will be hard to tell exactly how the dates are going to work out, the storage unit in Florida has to be dealt with first and foremost, for all kinds of practical reasons. But I do know there is another NAPF Peace Leadership Workshop to come in the summer of 2013 and I Plan to Be There...again, this time also working as a facilitator.
"So, Universe...How's that sound? Am I on the right track here? : ) You know how to let me know! : ))"
I can feel myself getting all excited again! : ))
If this sounds like a good plan to YOU, then I welcome your support. I am still going to need a little money to live on here, but a plane ticket from LAX to JAX on Southwest, including the bus to LA is going to run around $290-$300. Once I get back to Jacksonville, I can start selling off whatever I have left...but a big part of that will be to raise money for a drivable vehicle, and my first few weeks of expenses.
So, any help you can offer now, would be greatly appreciated! We'll see if we can get this show back on the road! : )
Yours for Peace!
September 21, 2012 - Update
Southwest has a sale going on right now and I can get a ticket to fly out within the next month or so for $175. That plus the bus ride to Los Angeles from Santa Barbara is a total of $225, but I have to act within the next week and I have to purchase the ticket via PayPal as I do not have an active credit/debit card or bank account anymore. I have raised $90 towards that goal, so still need to raise $135.
Thanks for your support! : )
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