Long story short, I’ve been putting this off.
The world is calling for me to start sharing my voice in a really big way and I thought what better time to birth this new era than on the spring equinox?
If you followed along on my soul journey in 2021, you would know that I’ve been spiritual my whole life, but like most people in my metaphysical shoes, I shut down my gifts. Looking back now, I can see I was built for a world that didn’t yet exist. I felt out of place, alone, longed to go back home, and tried my best to just be “normal.”
I suffered with depression most of my life and although I don’t think back on any one time as being a “spiritual awakening,” I had many on-the-bathroom-floor dark nights of the soul. The thing that continued to get me through the most challenging times in my life was this deep knowing that I was here for a reason.
New Adventure
On Saturday, July 31st, I made the long haul from Boynton Beach, FL to Surfside Beach, SC, a 629-mile drive, what should be a nine hour, 23 minute drive through Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. The night before this trip I started looking for a stopover location to break the trip into two days, but I decided to bite the bullet and get the drive over with in one day.
As I pulled onto I95 North from Boynton Beach, I began listening to the second half of Untamed by Glennon Doyle. For as much hype as this book got, I was unimpressed. I actually started it in mid-June as I began packing up my house in Illinois and I just never wanted to even finish it. Facing the long drive, I thought ... what the heck?! Why not.
I think maybe if you've never thought about your place in the world as a woman, or about your spirituality, or belief systems, maybe her content might be eye-opening for you. But it seemed pretentious to me. Perhaps even more so because she was reading her own book. I felt like her inflection was trying to make things sounds revelatory, but they just were not. Enough said.
Rounding out the rest of my day, I pulled up Caroline Myss' Anatomy of the Spirit.
Soaking Up The Sun
On my last day in Boynton Beach, I had a long to-do list to prep for my next day of travel. I began with a cup of Cold Brew of course so I could clean out my pitcher and pack it up for the trip. I spent some time repacking my suitcase and organizing for my travel day. I have a large suitcase filled with clothes and then a smaller suitcase that I pack for the next leg of the journey. My spacious empty townhouse digs gave me plenty of room to spread out and repack for my next trip before I began loading bags back into the car.
I had a lunch date with my host who was experiencing life as a normal Friday workday. We met at a chain fast food place called Pollo Tropical that was near her office building. It seems this restaurant is only located in Florida at this time, but I highly recommend it if you pass one by! I ordered a Tropichop - a bowl with rice, black beans, fajita veggies, tomatoes, and corn as well as their chopped up grilled chicken and a delicious Cilantro Lime sauce. Yum! Definitely more than I could eat for lunch. As a bonus, they had free wi-fi, so I was able to stay longer to upload a few blogs.
Tourist in Boynton Beach
As the week was rolling on, I decided it was time I actually went to the beach! I was getting the hang of this ignoring the weather app thing (it always says it's going to storm!). So I loaded up with all my supplies and headed to Oceanfront Park.
I figured out the parking system and hauled my chair and beach bag down the winding boardwalk to the sand and found a spot a good distance from others already camped out there. I immediately stripped down to my swimming suit because it was so hot. I doused with sunscreen and broke out my journal to catch up on writing.
Parlour Talk
On pedicure day, my host picked me up from my place and we walked into the salon right before our scheduled appointments. I was waffling on color choice when we were called back and perhaps made a rash decision.
My attendant brought me a bottle of water and started the massage chair for me and we were off. My host's attendant worked quickly as my lady struggled with each step. She was clearly still learning, but I didn't mind the extra relation time.
A Message
Day two in Boynton Beach began by checking the weather. It seemed there was a high chance of storms all day, so I ditched the idea of finding a kayak excursion and looked for indoor activities. I reheated my leftover breakfast while enjoying a cup of cold brew coffee I had set brewing the day before. I found a spiritual shop called Guides and Angels located in the Boynton Beach Mall and as it turns out, the mall had wi-fi access, so I was sold.
Upon arrival, the lady behind the counter was assisting another customer, so I perused the wares in the shop. When Carolina, as I would learn she was called, was available, I approached her to ask if she did walk-in readings. She said a 10-minute tarot reading right in the store would be just $15 as she was the reader and tending to the store sales.
A Squatter’s Life
After a quick tour of my new squatter’s paradise in Boynton Beach, my host took me over to her home for a charcuterie board night. Everything was amazing and I definitely over indulged on cheese. I love eating real food after a day on the road!
After dinner, my host convinced her other house guest to play a little piano. The two of them ended up sitting down together and playing through a whole book of duet music including The Christmas Song (Chestnut’s Roasting on an Open Fire). It was the perfect entertainment for the evening.
Make It Happen
So I can now say that I’ve seen the Everglades, but it was pretty boring from the highway. Lots of trees and nothingness until a strong downpour slowed traffic to a crawl. As I escaped out of the darkness and emerged on the east coast of Florida, gray skies cleared up in favor of blue skies.
As I approached Boynton Beach, Flash Dance began playing on the radio. I can’t say I’d paid much attention to the lyrics prior to this moment, but I was in awe of the symbolism my clairaudience had delivered to me. I absolutely love this message! It’s the perfect start to the next leg of my journey.
Experiences Unfolding
Driving down highway 75 after a short drive around Anna Maria Island, I jumped back on YouTube and was delivered more messages from Michael Singer’s podcast. The two podcasts that I heard really spoke to some of the things I had been discussing the night before. One was Giving Meaning to the Time Between Your Birth and Death and the other was Doing the Real Work to Free Yourself.
Perspective
I definitely slept in on my last Tampa morning with a shorter drive on my agenda. I got up and ready for the day, and my host ushered me on to the next leg of my journey with a hug (yeah, I’m a hugger now) and a full cup of coffee.
As I pulled up my GPS in the car, I fully planned to direct my route around Tampa Bay to avoid the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, but at the last minute I saw an encouraging post from a friend on facebook to just do it and so I set my GPS for Anna Maria Island and started preparing myself for the experience. I dialed into some Abraham Hicks on YouTube for the drive as this always tends to raise my vibration.
Fond Farewell
On my last night in Tampa, the adults enjoy teriyaki steak on the grill with baked potatoes and yes, even some vegetables. The kids had hot dogs and mac and cheese with fruits and vegetables and both cleaned their plates! The kids hit up the play room after dinner, but eventually were ushered upstairs for a bath and bedtime routine.
I kept myself occupied until my host came back downstairs after 9pm and asked if I wanted to get out of the house. “Sure” I said, “Right now?” Yep. Within a few minutes I had tip-toed upstairs to grab my purse and shoes and we were off to a nearby sports bar called Glory Days that was open until 11pm. I laughed at the name because there was a bar by this name in La Crosse where the two of us used to frequent karaoke.
Tampa Pool Talk
After the excitement of the breakfast sandwiches Sunday morning, we each went our separate ways. I worked on catching up on the blog, errands were run, and the kiddos got a sleep-inducing (well... 50/50) stroller ride.
The afternoon was filled with girl time in the pool while the boys played in the front yard. We had a lovely conversation about everything from my spiritual journey to charcuterie. I gave the abbreviated rendition of the journey starting with the health issues in 2018 that led me to look for alternative healing modalities to one of the most life-changing events I’ve encountered, Crystal Dreaming.
Tourist in Tampa
My drive to Tampa was far less eventful than the drive into Savannah. The 336 miles clocked in at just about six and a half hours including my stops. Crashes on I95 had me diverted to 301 and I was traveling through towns, not flying by on the interstate. I did run into some rain, but the biggest delay came when I stumbled upon Waldo’s Antique Village in Waldo, FL.
Conquering Your Fears
I began my journey from Pikeville, KY to Savannah, GA from the mist of the foggy mountains. It was a cool, but humid morning as I departed on my 488-mile journey that would lead me from Kentucky through Virginia, Tennessee, North and South Carolina to Georgia.
It began simply with a full cup of mint tea and an open road. I was familiar with the leg from Pikeville to Asheville, NC as we had made the journey in May to pick up a new car for my Aunt. While we intended to visit the Biltmore, our time was fully occupied with the purchase process. This day wouldn't be much different. I did make a pit stop here to refuel on gas and caffeine, but I was back on the road in no time.
Timing
Things are always working out for me. Sometime you don't think things are going your way, but so many times if you hang in there, you will find that things really were working out for you all along. My last day in Pikeville was a great reminder of this.
I got up a little earlier this day and got ready for the day. I enjoyed my cup of coffee with Tillie by my side and was ready to head out into the world by mid-morning. I had a list of errands I was going to take care of for my Aunt and was planning to meet her at 12:30 for lunch.
Just Float
With only a few days in Pikeville, KY I needed to make the most of my time there. I started out with serious snuggles from my aunt’s dog, Tillie. Followed up by cards with aunt Debbie. I even planned to make the Pampered Chef Chili Lime Pork recipe. But in between all that? Floating in the pool of course.
After a long drive from Manitowoc to Pikeville, I took the opportunity to sleep in a little later. I started my first full day there with a cup of Cold Brew Coffee I had prepared upon my arrival, enjoyed on the patio, with Tillie on my lap. The faint song of the the wind chime on the breeze and the gurgling of the pool put me right into relaxation mode.
The Power of Now
The drive on Monday was a long haul from Manitowoc, WI to Pikeville, KY. I drove a total of 684.7 miles which equated to an 11-hour drive. Add on a time zone change where I lost an hour while driving from Wisconsin to Illinois to Indiana to Kentucky and I didn't arrive at my destination until 8pm. Uff.
I love listening to interesting content on the road and it usually helps the time go by more quickly. I started the day jumping into the last 10 hours of Barack Obama's A Promised Land. As much as I have enjoyed this book so far, I'm at a chapter where he talks about war and I'm having a hard time staying focused on it. I quickly decided I needed to start this long day with something a little more inspiring.
Making Your Way
I woke up with a song in my head. In the real world this seems perfectly normal, right? Surely you heard it in the car, while shopping for groceries, or at your favorite restaurant yesterday. Not me. I generally don't listen to music in the car or at home. And as a matter of fact, during the pandemic when I wasn't going out anywhere I still would occasionally wake up with a song in my head. I always look up the lyrics because I know there is a message in there for me.
Yesterday I was hanging with River full time, but Friday's car ride I was listening to YouTube. I love YouTube. It's like this magical machine that pops out messages just for you from the universe. I find when it's auto populating what I should listen to next, it is always super spot on!
A Journey Begins
Yesterday I began a journey! It all started with this idea I had when I became unemployed in February of 2020. I had the time and resources to make a grand road trip to visit family and friends, but COVID quickly took the wind out of my sails…or gas out of the tank as the case may be. My car remained parked for a good portion of 2020 while I waited out the pandemic in Illinois.
In June 2021, I was puzzling at the folks' house in Trempealeau, WI and listening to a facebook live about manifesting during the new moon. My intention was to manifest Direction. I often feel open to the possibilities, but perhaps not as confident in choosing what I really want. I usually get into this super zen state while puzzling. Tuned in, tapped in, turned on. And this thought dropped in.... "It's time to do the road trip."
Let’s Get Acquainted
I have always considered myself spiritual although from a young age I shied away from organized religion. As a young teen I read all the books I could find on metaphysical subjects, but had a habit of accidentally calling in some experiences that frightened me at the time. I solved this by shutting that aspect of myself down. It helped me feel more "normal" in the physical world I was living in.