Welcome to Loveland

Lucy the Coon Hound.

The sun finally just broke through the clouds after a chilly morning in the wild, green foothills near Salt Lake City, Utah. We were invited by some new friends to join them and all of their dogs at their rustic getaway cabin for the weekend. It's finally allowed me to take some time to catch up on my writing. Another beautiful place on our earth! More beautiful people to connect with!

Our final days in Mexico were really special. The great people we encountered made it difficult to cross the border and trek back into the "real world" of the USA. The kindness and generosity of the Mexican culture is something we can all take a lesson from. They give and give almost to a fault. We felt like we were treated as family everywhere we went.  On our last night south of the border, in Los Mochis, we Couchsurfed with a wonderful man with whom we shared our final Mexican sunset and a bounty of beautiful conversation. We were sad to part ways, as this has been a common theme for us for many years in many places. It's hard to sever the ties that we create with each special spirit that we cross paths with...though those invisible ties seem to remain forever intertwined within our soul memories.

We crossed into the USA in Nogales, Arizona. We hoped that our huge cacao stash wouldn't cause any issues as we passed on through. We were thoroughly searched and had to surrender our mangos and a half-rotten cacao pod. The guards questioned our boxes of cacao. They informed us that it's necessary to have all food items labeled with contents and point of origin. They then proceeded to shout "CA-CAO! CACAO!" As they made finger guns and pretended to shoot each other. Hilarious. And so very American. We always keep a decorated glass Mason jar with us, for the last couple of years at least. Of course, we brought it on this trip. It contains our positive intentions, affirmations and loving requests to the universe. It really works. As a border officer dug through the trunk of the car, he asked what the jar was. We simply said "it's our good vibes jar." He laughed and said "Cool. That makes sense." I said "I put some good vibes into that jar that would help us get through this border crossing smoothly. Let's see if it works...." Just then, his partner came back from consulting with her supervisor and gave us a packet of papers. She smiled and said we were just getting a warning. Next time, we should follow the rules.

We headed for Tucson, Arizona arriving at nightfall and found a quaint and very affordable motel room. The man behind the desk was not so friendly. Somehow it came up that we just crossed back into the USA after 5 months in Mexico and Central America. I was feeling like I just stepped out of a spaceship onto another planet being back in America. I said "I am glad we found this sweet motel. I feel..." And he interjected with "a lot safer?"  I paused and looked at him with a bewildered stare. I shook my head no. I felt like a fish out of water. On a unicycle.

So this is culture shock.

For the record: Mexico and Guatemala are both beautiful, welcoming countries full of regular people just like you and I. For many decades, North American media has portrayed these places, and much of our planet, as dangerous, violent and "out to get you".  It's simply not true! There was never, ever a single moment in the last 5 months that we felt we were in a hint of danger. The scariest thing is the USA border crossings! The worst thing that happened during our trip was that some of our favorite bumper stickers got peeled off of our car in Guatemala. (So we are replacing them slowly.) 

A bumper sticker from our 2013 USA trip 

We got used to all of the Mexican police and military check stops after passing dozens of them. We often got waved through with a smile. When we did get stopped, we felt like they just wanted to chat for fun. It was fun. We realized quickly that these people are just like us. Only it's their job to look intimidating and ask a lot of questions. It is definitely true that there is some corruption, crime and poverty in every place on the globe. The USA and Canada are no different. The biggest difference that I noticed in the Mexican and Guatemalan people is that they have an inner determination and self-sufficient attitude that many (certainly not all) Americans and Canadians just don't have. They aren't waiting around to be taken care of. Especially in the state of Chiapas, Mexico. I whole-heartedly support the stance that the indigenous (and other) people of that place continue to take. Independence. Freedom. Equality. Respect. Peace. Love. That's all any of us desire. Let's make it happen. Our future can be in our own hands. Grab it by the reins!

Road fork.

The essence of Fall is in the air in northern Alberta (already???). The morning is gray and foggy and the furnace in the motorhome is taking the chill out of the air. Willie Nelson's newest album, Let's Face the Music and Dance, is keeping me company. "Sittin' here wondering if a matchbox will hold my clothes...". If by matchbox, he means a small motorhome, then yes. Hearing Willie brings back fond memories of my dread lock-adorned college roommate, who was a Willie fanatic. Back then I wasn't at all interested in old hippie-cowboy serenades. Today, I adore them. Funny how life changes us. 

I recently rewatched Slumdog Millionaire, a story of an orphaned boy on the streets of Mumbai, India. (I don't often watch or suggest movies, but this one is in my top 5 of all time inspirational films.) The story recounts all of his life experiences that had led him to where he was presently.  It reminded me that every single day is a gift and that we constantly draw upon past experiences to help us make decisions in the present.  

Over the last 5 months of living tiny in this motorhome, we have realized how much this lifestyle suits us. So the question we have been asking ourselves is "where will we go for the winter so that we can continue to live in our little rolling home?"  We certainly won't be able to stay warm enough or keep the pipes thawed in our vintage home here, where temperatures are well below freezing, often dropping as low as -30c or lower. We have considered heading southwest toward Vancouver Island for the cold season, where temperatures are rarely much below freezing. Maybe even California. Seems more practical, right?

However, Northern Alberta drew us here for a reason (in addition to being close to family). There's no nice way to say it.

We came to make money. To pay off debt. To free ourselves from the system. To end the old chapter of what has become widely accepted as "normal life", so that we could write a new chapter about an alternative way of living. So far, we have made strides in that direction. We have a ways to go yet though, and staying put for the winter would help see us through to the other side. Dilemma. 

Out of the blue last week, a cowboy preacher from the neighborhood stopped by. (I use this term loosely, as the neighborhood consists of hundreds of square kilometers of farm and ranch land) He asked us if we would be interested in housesitting his cozy log cabin for the winter. Appealing. Yet...being holed up 45 minutes from the nearest town in bitter cold temperatures with the shortest days having a mere 7 hours of daylight raises my skepticism flag high. 

To me, this is a perfect opportunity to relax, breathe and observe. If this option showed up, won't others come too?  Yes, they will. Be patient. Be open to the flow of life and hold up your butterfly net. Listen to your initial instincts. Follow the bread crumbs that life lays down every day. The messages are all around us. I personally do not believe in coincidences or accidents. I believe that we play a much larger roll in our daily experiences than we are led to believe, through the teachings of religion and society.  

During a bike ride the other day, I was listening to Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth audio book for the 6th time. Yes, it's that good. Everything he said was profound, yet, the last line I heard before getting off of my bike was the most powerful one. He said "we do not live life, life lives us." And as the cowboy preacher said to us last night, "you can make all the plans you want, but they will only happen if The Lord wills them to happen". In my own words, I prefer to think that the universe has our best interest in order and that we are presented with situations that will help us to grow our consciousness collectively as a species. 

"One thing we do know: Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you need? Because this is the experience you are having at this moment. "

- Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose

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