Thanksgiving in San Francisco with Aja

Last week was so sweet. I got to step away from all I'm doing and just be with my daughter for a few days. It was much needed time with her! She's been living and going to school in San Francisco since the Fall of 2016. It's amazing how much she has grown since taking the leap to move there. And what an amazing fit SF has been for her! There's no doubt in my mind that she is exactly where she should be right now. I love it there too and look forward to spending more time there so long as she lives there. What a blessing that flights are so affordable from Seattle to SF!

I hope you all had as blessed a Thanksgiving as I did, and that you live in gratitude every day. I am back on the Jackdaw clock in Seattle now! Shooting for Sacred Heart and Mary's Place families this week and next!

A bit messy and inconvenient, but so worth it.

This is my second time to live in a vehicle. I'm only four months in this time, but definitely in the groove of it now. Instagram is loaded with inspiring pics of #vanlife glamorizing the live aboard lifestyle of those who have chosen to live this way just as I have. There are amazing moments and experiences that come with this path that would be hard to come by any other way. But they are exactly that, 'moments'. While I enjoy this lifestyle and it suits me, it is not endless adventure and glorious vistas out the windows. In my case, it is allowing me to follow my purpose,which is the reason I chose it.

Living in a vehicle is hard when it comes to the practicalities of life. It can be isolating if you aren't careful. It's a bummer in the winter when you can't just have the doors open. Sticking freezing cold deodorant in your warm armpits in the morning is breathtaking. Cooking on a hot plate that takes up half your 2.5' counter can get old. Washing dishes outside afterward is kind of a pain. Crawling into a 40 degree bed is always a treat. Having a tiny wardrobe has an odd effect on how you see yourself. All of this experience inspires self examination in ways one likely wouldn't think of whilst living in a regular home. I love that.

I have gained an odd affection for brushing my teeth outside, especially before bed on a starry night. While it is often messy and frustrating to live out of such a small space, it has a wonderfully grounding effect on me. My tiny Hellahouse has fostered deep gratitude in me for the simplest of blessings in life. Health, food and shelter.

The moments in between...

I just returned to Seattle and Jackdaw mode. I've been in Olympia the last 8 days taking care of mom and helping out my sister with some handyman tasks on her house. It's always surreal returning to this world. My monthly week with mom is very special, and getting more so every time. It's also very challenging. After a week of focused caregiver mode, it's not easy returning to my individual life. It's like stepping between worlds. My ritual upon return is to take a long walk and just be. Let all I experienced with mom during the week settle in and release. Look around and get reacquainted with what I'm doing here. Funny, I've always been a caregiver of sorts. Even Jackdaw has elements of that. Giving is good, and I am blessed to be a giver.

Be well my friends 

Happy Halloween!

This is a unique Halloween for me, that's for sure! My first in over 25 years that I won't have a door for trick or treaters to come knocking on. My son and I carved jack-o-lanterns a couple weeks ago and mine has been set on Hella's Fender facing the sidewalk where I park at night  I can tell the locals have enjoyed it as they walk by in the evening. I was storing it in the truck during the daytime, but like all carved pumpkins do, it started declining a bit too much for that. So, a few days ago I hid it in the tall grass behind where I park for the day. When I returned to my spot that evening, I found it perched on the post as pictured above. No damage done, just set onto a bolt to keep it steady. It looked great, so I left it there and lit it up as usual. It's been three days and nights now and it's still unharmed. So very cool!

I'm a big believer that we reap the energy we sew. Thus far I have been treated very warmly by the locals that walk by Hella daily in my Ballard spot. Many have stopped to introduce themselves and learn about what I'm doing. I know that's largely due to my unique vehicle. But, there's a tremendous amount of good energy surrounding it because of the path I'm on and I believe people sense that. Ballard has been an amazing community to get to know, and I feel very welcome here. I love the maritime nature of the place and am enjoying living here while I build the support for Jackdaw that will allow me to extend my reach beyond Puget Sound. I know the time will come when I will be traveling much more extensively and I won't have a regular home base like I do at the moment. In the meantime, I am blessed to call Ballard my Seattle home.

Thursday I leave for a gig in Wenatchee for a few days and then go directly to Olympia for a week helping out Mom. See you in mid-November Ballard!

Emergence of the primal...

It's been nearly three months since I launched this new phase of my life. The warm weather and the newness is gone. An ancient fire is kindling deep within me. The shift is palpable. Whether good day or bad, it keeps rising. An energy that goes back way beyond this lifetime I am living. I feel my Gypsy surging in every corner of my life like an exquisite tapestry weaving itself before me. A sense that as each day ends, it was all I needed. A completeness when I lay down to sleep. Like if this day were my last it was what it was supposed to be. I no longer ache for something different. The now is right and true. The simplest of things delights me. Food to eat, a place to sleep, a healthy body and mind, and purpose.

This rising within me is my Wolf. I set him free nearly three years ago, but what really lit him up was letting go of everything. Embracing who I am without reservation or shame. Learning to trust my instinct. Relinquishing the need for the illusions of security and safety. Running in faith and the wind. He still has to turn and nip me every now and again when I slow my pace over something. But, I snap out of it quickly with one look in that face of his. I trust my Patronus. Lead on wild one...

Rubber hits the road

I've been based in Seattle for nearly three months now. It's been the best time of year to be a live aboard in Puget Sound. Perfect timing for reacquainting me with this lifestyle. Fall is here now and the days are getting shorter, the nights colder. As I laid waiting for sleep last night, I thought about how warm and comfortable I was in my little rig. I went to sleep peacefully. This morning I drove downtown at 0530 in order to get a primo parking spot at the market for the day. I got to see many street folk bundled up wherever they could find cover. That's always very sobering for me. One man began screaming profanities in the pre-dawn chill as if trying to warm himself up. Only he knows. It was disturbing and heartbreaking.

In the last few days I've realized I have been playing this a bit too safe. It snuck up on me as I saw my savings steadily decline. So, I began trying to make contacts electronically and on the phone so as to save fuel. As I did, Jackdaw's momentum slowed down. I know this work will have lulls from time to time as I seek out communities to serve. But, this was different. Hella opens doors when I arrive new places. That's just a fact, and without her, I'm just another guy walking in the door.

So, Fuel burn be damned! I will be rolling to new communities weekly now. I will have faith that as I do, more support for this work will come on board. The Universe is testing my mettle and I'm all in to show her what I've got.

October week with mom

I spend a week a month helping out mom in her house. She always enjoys having Hella parked out front! Very cute. I don't know what the rest of the neighborhood thinks, but oh well!

It's always a busy week here with her. It's challenging to build up Jackdaw momentum for three weeks and then throttle back for this week. But, it's very important and I get things rolling again quickly with Jackdaw once I leave.

For now, I am focused on what mom needs. See y'all next week!