Naked Living: Saying Goodbye to Our Old Stuff

Take a moment to imagine this scenario: You have eliminated all emotional bandaids from your existence. You are no longer avoiding real life or distracting yourself from feeling your emotions. Wow. Whoa. Wait a minute here. I don't do that, you might say. Well, let's take a closer peek, shall we?

What might this new life look like?

Probably something like this:

No more relax-me alcohol. (Yes, this includes wine and craft beers.)

No more soothing cigarettes.

No more junk/comfort food. (Even the organic and/or gluten-free kind.)

No more pick-me-up daily coffees. (Even the organic and Fair Trade kind.)

No more recreational drugs. (Even the organic, homegrown kind.

No more prescription drugs. (There are definitely alternatives to nearly all of them.)

No more television. Get rid of that thing!

No more video games. (Including apps.)

No more overly-obsessive activities. (Exercise, sex, work, shopping...and on and on.)

No more self-sabotage. Tough one.

No more drag-you-down hold-you-back relationships. 

(No. More. Facebook? I'm still working on minimizing that one...and keeping myself limited and to the point when I am on there!)

Boring, right?! 

But just wait...

This new life might also look something like this:

Just feeling happy. Even joyful!

Lots of amazing friends!

Socializing as yourself. Just plain old you. No more masks.

A clear and healthy mind.

Just facing your issues. Then forgiving everyone involved. Including yourself.

A clean, strong, and well-functioning body.

Communicating your needs and feelings clearly.

A strong sense of spirituality.

Pleasant (or even awesome) relations with family members. 

Time to prepare amazing, nourishing, healthy food.

A loving and supportive partner. (If you desire to meet one.)

Lots of time in nature.

Time to partake in your passions and follow your heart.

This is a lot like what our lives look like right now. It may sound boring to some but to us, it feels anything but that. It feels like a gigantic blessing. Everysingleday. You can live this way. Just make the choice. It's all in your hands. No more excuses.

How and why did I choose this way of living? 

Mostly out of self love and respect, I believe. Also, I have a strong desire to love others the same way that I love myself. To accept people for who they truly are underneath it all. Beautiful spirits. To truly know people for who they are on a soul level. To know the truth of how it feels to be a human without any adulterations. 

Has it been challenging? 

You bet! It's been super challenging, at times. I have done everything on the first list (except smoke a cigarette. I haven't done that.) But all the others have been challenges and obstacles that I have overcome. Some more than once. Some still creep in from time to time. Like snacks! Who doesn't love a good ol' cookie or some chips?!

I went to a liquor store today to find some empty boxes. When I walked in, all I saw was colorful flashing signs and clever, artsy labels that were reminiscent of a toy store, or candy shop, but for adults. Promotions and gimmicks like free beer cozies or tee shirts. I am often baffled by the collective consent of our world. "Drink alcohol friends! Everyone does it. Wine is classy!" Numb your pain. Forget your worries. Pretend that your marriage is just fine. What debt? Cool dudes slam back a cold one after work. Let loose. Forget life. Relax a little. Blend with the crowd. Alcohol is just one small example of this insane collective consent that our society calls reality. 

With those empty cardboard boxes, we are once again paring down our material possessions. I have shed my personal stuff twice before almost completely. Once in 2004, at age 21 when I moved to Alberta from Pennsylvania. All I took on the flight was a small carry-on sized suitcase. My mom shipped me some memorabilia a few years later. You know, some photos and such.

Then again in 2011, at age 29, when my partner of 8 years and I separated, I only took with me a car, a bed and pillow, a yoga mat, a bike and some clothes. That's all. Not a nic-nac or painting or fridge magnet. What are they for really? Memories? That's why we were gifted a memory as human beings. To collect and learn and remember the past but live in the present.

Stuff is one more thing that keeps us all weighed down. Energetically, mentally and physically. It's so easy to accumulate things. It's often much tougher to become unattached from them. We sifted (again) through a pile of totes of stuff that we had just sorted through six months ago before we left to travel. So we have decided this will be the final sifting as long as we are a "mobile wellness team". We do not want the invisible energetic tethers to our heap of belongings pulling at us from around the globe. 

There are often many emotions attached to a lot of stuff. So it forced us to feel these emotions, smile and/or cry, and move onward. After 3+ hours of sorting dishes, clothing and various household items (about 3/4 of our total stuff) we both laid down in bed and felt a mountain of totes lighter while drifting away into dreamtime.

We are on day four of a liquid fast of mostly herbal teas (some cacao drinks) and coconut water. Cleansing our insides and our outsides simultaneously feels amazing. Realigning our bodies, minds and spirits after a long journey. And now we begin to prepare ourselves for the next phase of the One World Wellness road tour.

Cotton Fields and Cajun Spirit

The sun is shining in Houston as we sit on a park bench and the melody of a saxophone floats across the breeze. It still feels like summer here. It's tough to believe that it's fall in the south. Out of five weeks of travels, we have had only three days of inclement weather. It has allowed us to do lots of outdoor exploring. We rented bicycles on a street corner and our pals in Houston took us for a little tour. They also took us to our first climbing gym experience. We are hooked! We scooped up someone's extra tickets on Craigslist for the Houston Diwali Mela 2013 festival at a baseball stadium. We were four of maybe 10 non-Indian attendees and it was quite the event!! There were thousands of people there dressed in their best saris and dotis all colorful and bejeweled. The drums thundered and shimmering dancers performed in the aisles. Vendors offered trinkets and Hindu art and clothing. We ate a delicious meal from some street vendors and watched several dance performances on the main stage. We eventually left when we realized that we couldn't understand 90% of what was being said because we don't speak Hindi. 

So, flashing back to last week...we reluctantly said farewell to the beaches of North Carolina and headed south through South Carolina and Georgia. We made a stop in Savannah to play some evening tennis in a gorgeous park that was filled with gnarled, Spanish moss-covered Live Oaks. Many of these trees are several hundred years old and they are simply massive. It was hard to show their grandeur in a photo, but I tried. 

As we wound through Georgia, we passed plantations covered with crops that just don't thrive in the Northern climate. Cotton, sugar cane, sorghum and tomatoes grew mile after mile. Ironically, the sky looked a lot like a cotton field that day. 

Later that night, our GPS took us on a dark, back woods adventure down winding country dirt roads that were overgrown with the jungly foliage of the Deep South. We dodged numerous armadillos, which, if you've never seen one, are the size of a cat and pinkish gray, like a possum covered in leathery scales. They move slowly and when they are threatened, they roll into an armored ball. 

We decided to try our luck at finding a Couch Surfing host that would take us in late in the night around Tallahassee, Florida. Within an hour of posting a request, a woman offered us a bed for the night. We arrived there around 11pm and stayed up chatting with her until 2 am. We had so much in common and really enjoyed the stay. She had this happy flag outside her front door. It seemed like a slogan for our road trip. 

 She suggested that before we depart the area that we visit Wakulla Springs park. It was nearby, very close to the Gulf of Mexico. 

Wakulla Springs is one of the world's largest and deepest fresh water springs. Florida has more fresh water springs than anywhere else at over 600 springs! Who knew??

We arrived and bought tickets for a boat tour. The water was swimming temperature year round and based on vintage photos in the beautiful guest lodge, it is a hot spot in the summertime for tourists to cool off. The tour guide said that 400,000 gallons of spring water come up out of the ground every minute and flow into a 150 foot deep pool, which then gently flows about 20 miles to the ocean.  

The shallow water was crystal clear and we could see every fish, turtle and diving bird that we passed by. There was abundant life in every square inch of that refuge. We saw well over a dozen manatees, even some wee calves with their mamas. Sometimes when we got too close they swished their tails in the sandy bottom to create a cloudy mess. This was the best photo I could get. 

The guest lodge at the spring. 

We also enjoyed seeing the alligators basking in the sun. They ranged in size from a foot long and five pounds, all the way up to 12 feet long and 600 pounds!

This guy "Big Willie" was a local legend for many decades until one morning when he was found poached, floating in the spring. There was a huge reward for the guilty party(ies) but no one ever came forward.

After our afternoon in nature, we drove over the many miles of bridges that span across the Gulf Coast bayous, New Orleans-bound.  A local fella had agreed to host us via Couch Surfing for three nights. I had been to New Orleans briefly back in 2003, prior to hurricane Katrina and expected it to be less amazing, but it wasn't. The people of New Orleans had come together to rebuild and repair their gorgeous city. It now seems stronger and more lovely than before!  

I can't say this any more simply...it won us over and we wanted to stay forever. The bold colors, the constant sound of  jazz music, the art, fashion, food, tiled street names and overall friendly vibe stole our hearts. 

We arrived at our host's home and hunkered down in his wonderfully fun, traditional "shotgun"-style home. All of the rooms were in a row, save the bathroom. Kitchen, living room, and two bedrooms, front and back porches, straight as an arrow. What a great place. 

We must have put 15 miles on our shoes touring around the magical streets and back alleys of the city. We strolled through City Park, which is 1,300 acres, and saw a neat sculpture garden followed by the New Orleans Museum of Art. 

The people of the city collectively cleaned up the mess in the park after the hurricane to build back good cheer and keep the city beautiful...and secure the venue where many of the city's music festivals are held throughout the year.

There are two things I can guarantee you will see in this city: amazing musical performances and beads. There are Mardi Gras beads in Every. Single. Tree. And on practically every power line. 

We marveled at the grand, colorful houses with big old rocking chairs, porch swings and gas lanterns burning around the clock. The yards were mostly solid green foliage with avocado, palm and banana trees amongst the gigantic live oaks and tangled vines.  The locals refer to the grassy medians between the traffic lanes as "neutral ground". We got around the city by vintage street cars.

 The oldest, and longest running street car in North America is in downtown NOLA (as the locals refer to their city). We made so many fun connections with folks as we rode the streetcars around the city. One man stood out above the rest. Richard was a veteran, about 60 years old. He was also on a cross-country road trip. He carried with him, in his jacket pocket a small, plush goat. I asked him what the goat was for. He said it belonged to his wife, who had recently passed away from cancer. He said that they always wanted to see the country together, so this was his way of bringing her spirit along. He referred to himself and his mascot as "two old goats". We had a great conversation, and I was once again reminded that we are all on a personal journey. We all want answers to life's mysteries and we all reach out in our own ways to connect with others and hear their stories, exchanging puzzle pieces along the way. 

One evening, the air was sweaty and thick and there was a steady drizzle of rain. We walked through the old streets of brick and cobblestones, which are notoriously treacherous. One website suggested that you leave your heels and coffee cups at home before embarking on a walking tour. We stepped in many pot holes and stubbed many toes. At one point, a large, wet rat came charging toward us and scampered across my feet and proceeded across the street. Not something that you see in Canada. Something else you don't see in many places are real estate signs that read as follows:

We had an evening out on Frenchmen Street, in the French Quarter with our host, Louis. We had a hoot going from one jazz club to the next. The dancing and clapping and cigar smoke all added to the energy of the night. 

This was on a Wednesday. Every night is a music night in NOLA. There were street bands playing on many corners with buckets out to collect tips. Some are big band brass jazz and some are comprised of a home made mop bucket upright bass, washboards, spoons and banjos. 

At one club, The Spotted Cat, I must have ventured a little too close to the dance floor because an older gentleman swooped over and pulled me onto the floor with a twirl. It was a very sweaty (and slightly awkward) dance, but when we finished I smiled immediately said "we need to take some swing dancing lessons!" Watching the locals dip and spin and laugh had an addictive energy to it. What fun!

There were lots of "human statues" along the streets. 

On our last night in NOLA, we strolled through Jackson Square in the heart of the French Quarter. In a row along the fence were fortune tellers, palm readers and tarot card readers. We decided to check them out. One man called out to us with a smile and so we went to see what he had to offer, mostly for fun. He said his name was Jeffy and he wore a red and black sparkly jester's hat, which was a bit comical. He offered to read our tarot cards and our palms and we smiled and took a seat. There was a cold wind that night so we huddled close over his tiny table. For a good 20 or 30 minutes, he told us that we would both live long lives and travel a lot and be very successful in our business ventures and our relationship. These all seemed like pre-packaged comments that could apply to anyone. But then he got specific. He said, "don't have more than three children, more would be too many. Bring reiki into your lives for healing, and keep learning, and then teaching what you know. You are both meant to be teachers."

He's right. We both love to teach AND we both love to learn.  I am convinced that it's why we are all here.

The Mailbox on the Beach

It's been surprisingly tricky to make time to write and reflect while everything is new and exciting all around me. I made notes along the way so I would remember all of the great experiences we have been having. This is going to be lengthy but enjoyable!

I left off with us heading to visit my mom. We spent a few days with her and my step dad around Middletown, New York, driving around the countryside which was dotted with Victorian mansions, large horse farms and apple orchards. We sought out a particular farm which we saw advertised in a local magazine called Dirt. This magazine is distributed freely in mailboxes around that region and features local food growers and tips about sustainable living. Such a great resource. 

The farm we visited had produce galore, fresh eggs and even grew their own black beans. We wandered into a large barn which housed a walk-in fridge full of more produce and prepared meals and snacks made from the farm's own goods. They also hosted monthly local food dinners in the large, rustic dining room. My mom inquired as to whether their produce was organic. The owner explained that even with an organic certification, certain pesticides and herbicides are still "ok" to apply to crops and that they use no pesticides or herbicides at all on this farm. "So you're beyond organic then?" I asked. "Exactly." She answered. 

Folks are trained these days to seek out an organic certification logo on their foods. Take it a step beyond that and get to know the people who are growing your food (or grow some yourself!). Challenge yourself to find a local farmers market or farm stand. In addition, you can join a CSA (community supported agriculture) group at a local farm, where you can participate in growing your food and get heaps of fresh produce each week all growing season!

Mid-week we booked a room in a hostel in Brooklyn, NYC, which was only an hour and a half away. We drove into the city after morning rush hour and checked into our hostel, which was actually a converted third floor apartment. It was cute and cozy and hosted young folks from around the world.

Outside, at our car we were approached by a man in his 60's who was a passenger in a large SUV. He asked in French if we spoke French and I said no (where did my french skills go from two years of French class in high school?) He pointed to our Canadian license plate and must have guessed we were French speaking. He got out of the vehicle and proceeded to tell us all about NYC, and Brooklyn in particular, in his thick foreign accent. He said the recent mayor had broken up the mafia and that it's now a much safer city, with less dismembered bodies in garbage bags. (Phew!) He did give us pointers on how to out-think anyone who may be trying to intimidate or assault us on the streets. Mind over matter. He said that he, too had traveled around the USA for 9 months in the 1960's after saving up for 5 years. Harvey was a tall, African man, native to Haiti and had lived in NYC for over 40 years. He was warm and cheerful and listening to him was like a scene from a novel. We had just listened to The Alchemist by Paolo Cohelo on CD (amazing story!) and this encounter was like a chapter from that story. We shook hands and thanked him for all of his wisdom and advice and proceeded to the bus station about 8 or 10 blocks away. For the first time in my life, I got a taste of what it was like to be the racial minority. We were the only Caucasian people as far as the eye could see. I suddenly had an even deeper respect for folks who are treated as unequal in much of North America. Racism is very much still happening all over the world and I can not understand it. I will write more about that another time. As we sat on the bus stop bench, about 45 minutes later, Harvey drove by and shouted and waved from the passenger seat of the SUV with a big grin on his face. Amazing that in a city of millions, he happened to find us twice. I suspect we were easy to spot. 

NYC was wonderful and absolutely insane. I grew up very near there and made yearly trips with school to see Broadway plays and museums, and the US Open tennis tournament was an annual high school tennis team trip.  However, I had never been in a passenger vehicle, as we always traveled by greyhound-style buses.  It was madness. We were on constant high alert for wild drivers and daring pedestrians and cyclists. We spent an evening strolling in a fun neighborhood in Brooklyn called Williamsburg, and met up with some fellow Albertans. The following day, we trekked into the heart of the chaos and accidentally drove (extremely slowly, in a sea of vehicles) through Times Square. The art, music, fashion ad architecture are so unique in NYC. A feast for the senses. It was a short visit to NYC but a memorable one. We both decided spur-of-the-moment to get a permanent keepsake to remember this crazy journey. 

After NYC, we spent a few days regrouping our energy and relaxed back in rural Pennsylvania with family and friends. We took my dad for a birthday brunch with some old friends at a beautiful B & B called The Settler's Inn. They had dozens of spectacularly carved jack o' lanterns decorating the place and it was so cozy and fall-like. We both bonded with my 7 year old nephew and we were all so sad to part. Can't wait to see him again. 

We made our way down the east coast through Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia, down to a tiny place at the southern border of North Carolina's coast. This is where my mom has decided to retire with her beau. We have been here for several days and have enjoyed the beaches and balmy weather. 

On our first day here, we walked several miles on the lovely Sunset Beach to a very unique place. A 1,300 acre wildlife preserve along the beach has been protected to assist in the successful hatching of loggerhead sea turtles. There are thousands of rolling sand dunes covered in tall native grasses and scruffy brush.

A mile from the nearest parking, just off the beach, marked by an American flag pole, on top of a dune, stands a lone mailbox. It reads "kindred spirit". Inside of it are several notebooks and pens. The notebooks are filled with mostly anonymous journal entries from thousands of global visitors. Based on the dates at the start and end of one journal, I would guess that there are hundreds of visitors each month. I paged through and saw hopes and wishes and even confessions. I was so moved by this concept. There was even a package of tissues in the box for the teary-eyed vagabond.  I just about needed one. We left our own entries amongst the others and sat down on the weather-worn bench to take in the beauty of the Atlantic Ocean. What a perfect place for souls to come and recharge.