Month: November 2022

11/30/22

It’s been a while! I’ve been mostly taking it easy here in Portland, while my foot heals. I do plan to write more soon about some of my internal processes, but I’m not quite ready yet.

Meanwhile, though, it’s almost the end of the month, so I think this is a good time to mention (remind?) that I have a Patreon! It’s one part of the puzzle I’m piecing together to have some income while offering the healing and inspiration gifts I enjoy sharing with the world. And I’ve just added a new perk! At the $20/month level, patrons can receive up to four one-hour sessions per year of confidential empathetic listening, on any topic. (Maybe a check-in near each solstice and equinox, to reflect and set some new intentions in the presence of a supportive witness?) If this appeals to you, you can sign up—or update your existing pledge—here!)

For the past year, I was using the Patreon as an alternate platform to share my travel blog posts, and to make it easy for people who would like to support my journey financially with $5 or $10 per month, or whatever worked for them. (Thanks again to any of my patrons who may be reading this! You rock, and I appreciate you!)

This next phase of my life’s journey is a bit less clear: I’m physically grounded here in Portland for a while—possibly the whole winter—while I tend to some medical issues and do what I can to build up some income. So the photo-heavy, travelogue style of blogging isn’t as doable. But my life dream/purpose remains: to be someone who travels both physically and metaphysically/technologically, to experience and share beauty, and to offer a healing and inspiring presence to those I encounter.

As I have expressed before, the pay-for-service model for healing has never really resonated with me. I prefer the idea of offering my gifts as freely as I can, while accepting donations from anyone who supports what I do. This helps to decouple the support I offer from the support I receive; it feels more organic and heart-centered to me. (It’s not easy under our current capitalistic system, so what I’m about to share is necessarily imperfect. I’m sure I will continue to explore win-win ways of tweaking things.)

I’m not sure exactly what I will be offering on the Patreon in the next few months, in terms of writing or photography. I may lean into writing more introspective, deep-thoughts kinda stuff, about grappling with life. (I’m doing a lot of that these days, and I know others are too, and perhaps I could help by doing some of mine “out loud.”) But, I am excited to implement this one change right now, of four one-hour sessions per year of supportive and/or inspirational listening and empathy for those at the $20/month level.

I’m happy to offer one free session to pretty much anyone at any time, as a matter of principle and because I enjoy doing it. But financially, at this point I don’t think I can generally afford to offer more than one per person. I do maintain published rates on my Happy to Listen and Dream Into Change websites for those who prefer a more traditional, transactional model and would like ongoing sessions. But this new idea I have for the Patreon is that it would be kind of a “retainer” model, like you give a relatively small amount per month, and then receive sessions whenever it might work for you, during the year. Four sessions per year/$20 per month works out to a savings from my published rates, and I hope it would be a win-win for those who might like to support my vision while gaining something tangible in return. (I’m thinking it might be cool for some folks to do a session once per season, maybe around the solstices and equinoxes? Kind of like a personal reset, maybe some witnessed intention-setting.)

I’m not setting up an official Patreon “tier” for this, because I believe that would make things messy for existing patrons as well as anyone new who might like to support me monthly, but at a lower rate than $20/month. But please trust that I will honor this offer to anyone who does sign up at the $20 or greater level. (And the sessions can happen at any time; you don’t have to wait to “accrue” them. It’s all in good faith!)

I’m excited but scared to do what I can to live the life that feels most nourishing to me and to others. I want to continue to do this meaningful work, rather than getting another “day job,” as my savings dwindle.

Thanks to all who have supported me so far, and thanks to anyone who may want to support my Patreon now, at the new level or any level! If you’re interested, you can sign up or adjust your monthly pledge here.

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11/11/22

It’s been another week since I’ve written, so I thought I’d check in. Ever since I learned that I had fractured my foot, my days have been very quiet, so there hasn’t been much to report. Under the surface, though, I’m feeling powerful, positive changes in my life.

For one, I’ve decided to quit resisting the fact that I seem to be “stuck” in Portland for a while. Do I like the weather here this time of year? As I’m sure you all know by now, the answer is no. In the past week, we have had heavy rains, as well as sunny days with highs in the 40s and overnight lows near freezing.

But this is how my life is unfolding right now, and I’m now choosing to sink into it, rather than fighting it.

I’m staying in the home of my friend Jill, on the eastern edge of Portland (not far from Debbie’s place, actually) while Jill is dog sitting for her cousin in the Seattle area. For this week—at least, and possibly longer—I have no real household responsibilities such as pet or plant care, so I am treating this place as a healing oasis, and very much appreciating it.

I have been sitting on the couch, grateful for the warmth and dryness as I watch the weather out the windows. I have been working on my book. I have been making phone calls about health insurance and various medical and dental issues. (Good news on that front—I got my permanent denture on Monday the 7th, and it fits great!) I am working on getting a primary care physician set up, although the first available appointment is February 13th. Eek! Will I still be in Portland then? Will I return here for it? Will I end up rescheduling it so that I can avoid being here then? Time will tell.

I’ve been doing Zooms with friends old and new, including talking to someone who I might end up cat sitting for in an incredible forest oasis of a home in southern Oregon, just after Thanksgiving. I’ll have to see how my foot is doing at that point, but Jane and I are both setting the intention that it will work out.

Meanwhile, on November 8th (yes, Election Day) I turned 50!

I managed to hobble out of the house and onto my bike (pedaling with my right heel, just for the five minutes of the ride) to a nearby spa for a birthday massage. I used a Groupon credit I had “earned” in Tempe, Arizona, back in February, when I tried and failed to get a massage at that time. (I then tried and failed to use the credit twice more, first in Austin and later in Ann Arbor, so it felt especially poignant to finally gift it to myself on my special day.)

As I alluded a few posts ago, my main gift to myself for this milestone birthday was a forest-goddess-themed photo shoot, outside of Eugene, with my photographer friend Marcella Dean. I was wanting to visually capture the inner transformation I’ve been feeling for the past few months (years? It’s hard for me to remember how long this has been growing.)

We did the shoot a few weeks ago—and I’m so grateful for that timing, before the rain, before the daylight-time change, and before the fractured metatarsal—and she finished the edits on the 7th, the day before my birthday, so it worked out perfectly.

I love spending time in the forest, and I’m so glad I’ve been able to do so as much as I have this past year, all around the continent in a variety of climates. And, as I turn 50, I begin to enter the “crone” phase of my life. Rather than mourning the loss of my youth, I’m enjoying choosing to embrace the beauty and strength of the wisdom that only time can grant.

I wanted to share some of the photos here. Looking at them helps me to continue feeling inspired, despite my temporary setbacks on this journey.

Thank you, as always, for following along.

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Want to support my vision financially? You can make a one-time or monthly contribution, or even become a Fairy Godfunder! (Heartfelt thanks to all my patrons, contributors, and godfunders!)

11/4/22

Boy, is it rainy here in Portland. It is November as all get out around here. I have been pining every day for sunshine and warmth.

My dental work has been coming along steadily, with appointments every one to two weeks. I finally got the new denture today. It fits OK, but unfortunately I can tell I will need an adjustment in the next couple of days. I was hoping to have that all wrapped up, so that I could finally get out of this rain and gloom, by the 16th. It seemed that I was on track to do so.

But now I’ve broken my foot.

It’s not a major break; just a stress fracture, as best today’s nurse practitioner could glean from the X-ray.

I’ll back up a bit.

I had been having a cozy, very relaxing time for the past week here with my Servas friend Debbie, in outer NE Portland on the edge of Gresham. I really hadn’t been out much, because the weather has been so dismal. But last weekend, during a brief sun break, I took the bus to the grocery store to stock up on some provisions. The bus stop is about ten blocks from the house, and then I visited two grocery stores, about ten blocks apart from each other. So by the time I got home, I had walked a total of about thirty minutes. I began noticing that my right foot was hurting with each step. I thought it was odd, and couldn’t understand why that might be the case. I briefly considered that it might be broken, but concluded that must be absurd, because nothing had happened to the foot. Maybe it was gout? Or some sort of weird arthritis?

I didn’t know, so I just took it extra easy for about four or five days, barely even rising from the couch.

But today I decided to get it looked at. I went to the immediate-care place near my condo—I had been visiting my friend Greg in that neighborhood for a couple of days, so it was convenient—and after examining the foot, asking questions, and reviewing the X-rays she ordered, the nurse practitioner told me she was pretty sure it was a stress fracture. Apparently it is relatively common for such a thing to happen in circumstances like mine, without an obvious “breaking point.”

Needless to say, this is a setback. I am not happy about it.

I will need to stay in town at least another four weeks (possibly up to eight—oof!) to let it heal and get another X-ray to confirm that I’m good to go.

So, it looks like I’ll be here through the end of the month, anyway.

Argh.

I guess I’ll have plenty of time to get comfy with the new teeth…

But I’ll leave you with some beauty here. The other day—before I realized the foot pain was serious—I carried my bike on the bus into Portland, and visited Laurelhurst Park. I had intended to visit this beautiful pocket of the city last month, when the weather and trees were still summery, but I ran out of time. It’s just as well, because in the aftermath of the early fall rains, the place is now spectacular.

Please enjoy.

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Want to be notified of future blog posts? Use the green “sign up” button to subscribe!

Want to support my vision financially? You can make a one-time or monthly contribution, or even become a Fairy Godfunder! (Heartfelt thanks to all my patrons, contributors, and godfunders!)