No matter where you go ...

I heard a story many years ago and it keeps coming to mind so I'm going to share it with you:

At the gates of a great city sat an old man. He was poor and ragged but he loved to greet people as they entered and left the city. One day a family stopped to talk to him and they asked him what sort of

city this was. The old man was delighted to be asked but instead of answering, he asked them a question instead. What kind of place had they come from?

Immediately they began describing a place that was too big, too noisy, too filled with crime and bad people, never enough to eat and no longer safe. The old man listened to the long list of flaws and when the people were finally finished, he shook his head sadly and told them to keep traveling for the city they were about to enter was just like that. Discouraged and disheartened, the family continued their journey and bypassed the great city.

The old man went back to enjoying his day and greeting people and soon another family stopped to ask what sort of city this was. The old man was delighted to be asked but instead of answering, he asked them a question instead. What kind of place had they come from? 

Joyfully, the people began describing the beauty and goodness of the place they had come from, how welcome they had felt and what a sweet life they had enjoyed. But these people were adventurers and were seeking new experiences and wanted to meet new people and eat new food and so they had set out to find the next lovely place to live for a while.

Clapping with joy as the story unfolded, the old man welcomed them because this place, he said, was just like that. 

At first glance, it appears that the old man was trying to trick people when in fact, he was lovingly teaching an age-old truth: No matter where we go, there we are. We manifest and feel our lives by what we focus on and talk about and the stories we tell ourselves and others is a great way to discover our focus. No matter where we go, we take with us our beliefs and perceptions, our stories, and create in the new place the same as we had in the old. It can be no other way.

I arrived in Boise ten years ago and created a sweet home and a good life with lots of wonderful friends. I've also experienced some heartbreak and have felt nurtured and cared for here. What a blessing Boise has been for me! Soon I'll be leaving, looking for a new adventure, new friends, new foods, new experiences, but I'll keep my house in Boise because I'll be back. I don't know how long I'll be gone. The last time I did this, I was gone for two years but the time before that I was only gone for four months. The times before that, I left and never went back. So you see, this is not new for me, this uprooting and risk-taking. But I've never lived in another country before and I'd like to try that. I have time in my life for one more big-ass adventure and so I'll go to Mexico and see what life is like in that place. I plan to take my highest self with me and see if I can expand my life even further.

My plan is to rent a big enough house to have guests come and stay ... a vacation accommodation, a B&B of sorts but unofficial, a word-of-mouth sort of thing. Friends and friends of friends. To me, this sounds like a perfect way to live in another country alone but not really alone all the time. If a vacation in Mexico interests you, keep an eye on this blog and I'll post as I go and announce when I'm ready to start booking.

You may wonder what this post has to do with stuff, since that's the title of this blog. To me, stuff is everything. It's what we collect, what we dust and launder and it's also what we pack around inside whether we are aware of it or not. Years ago I had an art business, I created hand-stenciled calligraphy pictures, framed and matted and I sold them in gift shops all over the country. A popular one was, "Home is Where Your Stuff Is." I created it in 1986, pretty sure I did it before George Carlin. As I mentioned before, I was a big mover all my life and that little saying made me feel better about it. New home, same stuff. I can do this. But oh! What about the inner stuff? Yes, I was taking that with me as well and it took a long time before I started sorting and organizing that baggage.

So here in my blog, I'll be sharing stories of all kinds of stuff and photos too, when I have them. It's good to get some clarity so I can get started for real. So much work to do when moving. So much work to do when staying put. But after ten years I'm glad to get going again! Can't wait to get to Mexico and tell that cheerful old man how great Boise was.