Disconnected?

As of today, I've been in Santa Fe for 2 months.  I'm not sure how time can seem to fly and crawl at the same time, but it feels like I just got here and like home all at once.  I'm settled in my new home and have been exploring in and around Santa Fe and making new friends.  Tonight I decided to write about my decision to let go something I thought I needed to keep.  It's not taking up much space, only about 2x4 inches in a drawer, but the $55 a month it's costing me could be spent on other things, like exploring more of New Mexico.

I didn't realize what a security blanket it had become though until I started thinking about letting go of it.  It's been a part of my life for more than 30 years and a tangible link to my old life in Omaha.  I kept it because I didn't want any of my clients to ever get an "this number has been disconnected" message when they dialed 402-551-8967.  That's the phone number my family got when we first moved to Omaha in 1980.  

I ended up with it when, as a young single-mom I moved into a new home with my parents.  They still had the number and when we set up a new account with Cox at the new place the account was put in my name.  This was still the 90s and I'm not sure I even had a cell phone yet.  But, at some point we got a separate line for my parents and this phone number stayed in my name.  

Six or seven years ago, when I got rid of my LAN line, I was able to transfer this number to my cell phone and maintain this small bit of continuity amidst all the changes that were happening in my life at that time.  Maybe that's why I've hesitated (am still hesitating as I type this) to pull the plug on this part of my past.  In fact I feel really emotional about it at the moment.  I understand that it's really more of a symbolic gesture and just another layer in this process of radically simplifying my life.

So, here goes.  I'm logging on to Sprint's website now... and once again I see that the Universe likes to play games with me because when I tried to log in to cancel this phone line I got this message:

So, I guess that means it's time for me to go to sleep and this is something I can take care of tomorrow.

To be continued...

Path to Plentitude

Last Saturday I went to a networking meeting for women entrepreneurs in Santa Fe and met a wonderful group of women.  I sensed a few kindred spirits in the group and had the chance to visit one of them in her radically simple home today - a unique home she designed & constructed herself.  It's a portable structure, made of canvas and at less than 200 sq feet, the PleniSphere is a special place and it's creator, Anodata Pyaga, is a special person.

When I met Anodata last weekend and found out about her creation & that she only lived about 1/2 mile from my house, I knew I had to visit her during one of her open house days and get a first hand look at her little living space under the domed canvas roof.  

As I walked along the trail behind Frenchy's Field to cross the Santa Fe River to get to her place, I spotted the smaller of the two Plenisphere's she has set up in her back yard in the distance.

Then I crossed over the footbridge that spans the river and headed down the trail toward her home and became even more excited to step inside one of her magical dwellings.  Being able to visit this type of structure only a few hundred feet from my own new home is truly one of the enchanting aspects of living in The City Different.  I love that this city seems to attract creative people like Anodata and her "spheres of plenitude".

The structure itself is elegant and welcoming in person as it appeared to be in the photos I saw on her website.  There was a lovely breeze wafting through the openings for the windows & doors as I sat and chatted with its designer this morning.  For such a small space, I was happy to see all of the ways in which she had maximized space by choosing furniture & making items that serve more than one purpose like the footstool that also serves as a desk and discretely conceals a composting toilet.  It was really interesting to talk to someone else who has made a conscious decision to radically simplify their life and see first hand the way she has embraced this way of life and taken it even further than I have by creating a dwelling that embodies the principles of living "sustainably in abundance and luxury".  I can only hope that my own journey toward Radical Simplicity continues to lead me down other such Paths of Plentitude.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow in Santa Fe

My friend here in Santa Fe was gracious enough to let me stay in her house for a couple weeks while I was looking for a place to live.  She and her husband went with me to scout out a few places and after seeing a couple of "shit-holes" (her husband's honest opinion) and a couple of lovely places, I choose a place on a street called Agua Fria.  I knew it was the place for me the minute I saw the mailbox - it had me with "om".  

The house itself was quite a mess when I first saw it because three 2o-something, male musicians had been living here and I had to look past the dirty dishes in the sink and the messy piles of their stuff.  I loved the owners though & could tell they loved this house.  They had lived here for 6 years themselves and I could still feel their positive energy all over the place.  They had installed a whole house, water filtration system and commercial grade appliances in the kitchen, but they kept the 1950s, turquoise double oven & matching gas range.  I love that my landlord is looking for a part to fix the oven.  He'll replace it if he has to, but I adore him for trying to keep these golden oldies. 

The original part of the house was built in 1920 and was apparently the General Store for the Village of Agua Fria at that time.  The walls are real adobe and the living room has the original vigas and the wooden slats on the ceiling above them are painted a lovely shade of dark turquoise.  The kitchen counters are a beautiful blue ceramic tile and with a little scrubbing of glass ceiling fixtures, the gentle glow of electric light now reflects nicely off the white-washed adobe walls.   I've also been discovering little critters that my landlords left behind in the nichos and even found a little metal frog sitting on top of an electrical box outside the kitchen the other day.

Another reason I chose the house is because it sits on 1/3 of an acre and is completely walled in making it a wonderful yard for my dog, Ginger, to explore.  There are 3 old growth apple trees, which my juicer will love, and a magic circle of stones just waiting to be reawakened from under the overgrown grasses.  My bedroom is on the East side of the house so I get to the lovely morning sun & have a french door that opens out to the back yard and one of the apple trees and a bench swing under a pergola.  This has become a favorite place to soak up the morning sun or gaze at the starlit sky.  It is a wonderful secret garden.   My landlords even told me that there are crystals buried all around the yard - just another reason on my long list of loves for this place I now call home. 

 

I also have a great roommate, who's a natural redhead like me - talk about adding some magic to this place!!  She actually rented the master bedroom before I met her, but I couldn't have chosen a better roommate if I'd picked her myself.  She's a 30 year old grad student studying Art Therapy & loves my dog almost as much as I do - she even left the light on for her the other night when I was out late - she left the porch light on for me too, but her note just mentioned the light for Ginger :-). 

So there you have it.  My new home has embraced me and there's plenty of room for all of my friends who said they were coming to visit me her in Santa Fe.  Come on down to the Land of Enchantment and my enchanted little house on Agua Fria.

What I Left Behind

As I radically simplified my life, there were just a few things that I knew I wouldn't be taking with me.  Most of the items where mementos from my son's childhood.  

Over the years I stored his memories in a couple of plastic totes & a couple of hanging files in my file cabinet.  When I started this process, I went through everything again and got rid of a few more things so that I could fit everything into one large tote.  Inside that tote now are ALL of his baby clothes, his favorite books - including "Goodnight Moon" & "The Stinky Cheese Man & Other Fairly Odd Tales", his artwork, school papers & other childhood mementos. 

I also saved a smaller tote that of just Legos.  I think I kept this tote because it was such a good little storage piece for him when he was little - big enough to hold all of them, but small enough for him to carry around.  The lid also locks in place on 2 sides and the handles fold down. He always used the lid as a building surface and despite all of the constant use, it is still in perfect condition.  His children may never play with his Legos, but I spent way to much time researching Lego containers during his childhood to let this one go easily.

The other 2 items will probably end up in my home again at some point.  I could have made them fit in my car, but didn't want to take the chance of breaking them.  The rocking chair was my father's when he was a baby - the photo below shows him, me & my son in the chair over the course of 50 years.  My Grandparent's wedding portrait has domed glass on it and I was afraid it would get broken in my tightly packed car during my drive down to Santa Fe.

For now these few items are safe in a storage space under the stairs in my son's house.

An Arrow in Flight

I had this feeling a couple weeks ago while driving to a friend's house in Omaha.  I was blasting a song on the radio and singing along and suddenly thought, this must be what Wonder Woman felt like when she spun around to transform herself from a normal woman into her Super Hero Self.  I felt light and powerful, like an arrow in flight that couldn't be stopped until it hit it's target.

I had the same feeling a week ago as I was driving down I-29 toward my first stop on my road trip to Santa Fe.  I realized what I was feeling was freedom.  I am a 44 year old, single, self-employeed woman, my son is grown and doing well on his own, and all of my efforts and determination over the last 6 months actually paid off.  I did it.  I made my dream come true and moved to Santa Fe.  How amazing is that?!  Just the thought of it brings tears of joy to my eyes.

 

The image of an arrow in flight came from something my friend Frankie wrote about me on Facebook a couple days ago.  

Congratulations on having the courage and determination to pick your life up and move across country and begin a new journey. Most would turn back but she was an "arrow in flight".

Talk about tears of joy.  I am so blessed & truly felt (and feel) all the love, support, prayers and well wishes that followed me as I flew across the interstates of Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado & New Mexico to this enchanted land.  And when I arrived in Santa Fe last Sunday evening I felt like the sun was painting the sky just for me as it disappeared behind the mountains for the night.  

Almost a week after that first sunset, as I sit here looking out my friend's dining room window at the storm clouds breaking up over the Sangra de Cristo mountains, that sense of freedom is continues to grow.  How could it not when simply driving to the grocery store provides me with panoramic vistas and walking my dog on a trail reveals a breathtaking view of the Jemez Mountains.  Even my trip to the Farmer's Market this morning was a magical experience this morning.  Magic & Miracles.  That's what I've found here in my new home town.  And as I embrace my new found freedom, I expect to find more magic & more miracles along my path. 

Separation Anxiety?

I had lunch with my Mom the other day and she asked me if I was starting to feel any Separation Anxiety.  I've really been to busy to delve into any of those feelings, but she said she was feeling it.  I lived with my parents for a long time as an adult and it was a tremendous help to me on both occasions, especially as a young single mom.  I was able to do some traveling with my son and the financial burden of raising him was not as difficult as it could have been thanks to their help.  

The last couple of years living with my parents after losing my house to foreclosure gave me the chance to be of service to them, especially last year when my Dad got sick and then passed away.   I know I've been in the right place at the right time most of my life, even when I thought I wanted to be somewhere else.  My Mom and I have a much better relationship today because our time together and I believe that distance will only make our hearts grow fonder.  

I'm getting her set up with a webcam and Skype this week so we can chat face-2-face often (if I can ever figure out the microphone issues on my end that is).  My Mom even said the other night that she's learning what happiness means to her.  Just like I know it was right for me to live with her when I did, I also know it's right that we find what makes each of us happy out there on our own now.  Everything is falling into place this last week, just like it has since I made the decision to move and I know that the best is yet to come for me and for my Mom.

Old Friends

Laying in bed last night on my way to sleep, I wondered why I haven't been able to post anything here for a few weeks.  It's been a whirlwind of activity and decisions and I've been doing my best to focus on making memories here and now with my family and friends.   As I was trying to think of one thing to focus on for a blog post and image of a giant snowball barreling down the path of my recent days and swallowing up all of my experiences until all I could see were arms and legs of my clients and friends and pieces of furniture and even my dogs tail wagging out one side.  So, I decided to pull one of them out of the jumble and spend a few minutes with it here as I sit in quiet of the early morning in my home office at the desk I've used for almost 20 years.  

My emotions welled up as I typed that last sentence because I've gotten down to the nitty gritty stages of letting go of my belongings.  My "desk" is actually a butcher block topped table that I originally bought with 4 chairs and used as a kitchen table.  When I got my first computer in my mid 20s (that's right, I didn't have a computer at home until my 20s), I started using it as a desk and  few years later found a maple hutch at Target that matched the top perfectly and was almost the exact length of my desk and I've used the two pieces together in my office since that time.  The hutch is posted on Craigslist and someone is coming to look at it today.  I am still using the desk and need it for my last week here, but I'll probably mention it to the person who wants the hutch because I feel like they're two old friends and would like to find them a new home together.

Last week I sold my antique dresser that I've had since I was 16 years old.  It came from a second-hand store in downtown Omaha called Second Chance and I can still see the description in my mind of the display tag that read, "1890s Cottage Style Dresser, Solid Oak".  Something about those simple words spoke to me and when I opened the top right drawer and saw the built in dividers, my organizing heart fell in love.  Somehow, telling the stories about how the items that were special to me came into my life and how I used them and loved them makes this process easier to process.

As I was polishing my dresser for the last time, I thought, "Who's idea was it to radically simplify my life anyway?!" Oh, yeah.  It was me, of course, and despite my mixed emotions, I love the after effects of letting go.  It's a lightness of being that sneaks up and surprises me in the middle of the day and calm certainty that I am on the right path. 

The last of my furniture to go will be my 1940s Waterfall Vanity.  I thought it was interesting that my "vanity" would be one of the last to go.  I got it about the same time as the dresser and have been using it to get ready for the day for almost 30 years.  I still love it, but I am ready to let it go.  It has served me well.  The funny thing is that I wasn't sure how I'd be able to organize my make-up and toiletries without the lovely drawers in my vanity.  Yes, I forgot that I was a Professional Organizer and there are shelves and drawers in my bathroom.  Silly me!