Posted by on Mar 6, 2013 in gratitude | 5 comments

I’m spending the month of March in Phoenix. The impetus for the trip was to take care of a few clients that I didn’t get to finish with when I was in town in November. I was originally only going to stay for two weeks, but then I thought, hey, I’ll stay for my birthday, and then I can work with more clients.

A few days before I was scheduled to leave Cayucos, I was regretting the whole thing. I was dreading the traffic of the big city and all of the driving I had committed to, visiting clients all over town. The weather reports showed the temperatures slowly rising and I remembered that one year on my birthday it was over 100°. I was getting cranky about the two day drive to Phoenix, and the jam-packed work schedule I had created and I was starting to resent the whole trip.

The night before my departure, Laddy and I took our evening walk to the beach and I could feel tears welling up, thinking how much I was going to miss my life.

And then I remembered that life is where you are, not where you’re going, not where you’ve been, but right here in the present moment.

And it suddenly occurred to me that I am so incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to go to Phoenix for a month and have clients who want to work with me. That I am so graciously welcomed at Marika’s house where she will cook delicious, homey meals and I even have my own room. And Laddy and Mabel get to have a month of dog companionship and I will get together with my friends and my Dad and enjoy some favorite eateries and even try new ones.

I am so grateful that I have the flexibility and the means and the support to do this and, at the end of the month, I’m able to go back to living at the beach where my spot is waiting for me at the RV Park.

This shift in perspective actually had me looking forward to my time in Phoenix. Suddenly, the traffic and the two day drive and the full working days became a gift instead of a burden. I was even excited to try a new back roads driving route to avoid all of the LA freeway traffic and stress.

By the time I had my car packed and Laddy and I were on the road, we were excited about the month of adventures ahead of us. And I didn’t even cry when we turned inland and the ocean disappeared from view.