On "Giving Birth," The Da Vinci Code, and Garage Sales

Welcome back!  Or just, welcome!   In the few days since posting my first blog, I feel like I've given birth.  My daily orientation has subtlely yet profoundly shifted to my blog, almost constantly.  What a strange and dynamic forum this is!  I wish to thank everyone who posted such supportive feedback, and I also wish to thank everyone who read my first post.  It's such a privilege to have this opportunity at my fingertips (literally) to express myself, to communicate with friends, acquaintances, and strangers alike, and, for those who choose, to respond and share their thoughts and views in kind.  I'm realizing that a blog (if implemented effectively) is a commitment that inspires the reflective muse, and I know that not every post will turn everyone's wheels in the same way (or even my own, for that matter).  Vive la difference!  I am sure to falter along the way, but onward I press...

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My path of particularly the past ten years has included vast twists and turns, stumbles, amazing discoveries, loving connections, lots of tears, great adventure, finding new communities, honoring my roots, and meeting my shadow.  When I first set out on my journey, I had no idea where it would lead.  But I held one overarching intention that led my way:  To find the truth, my truth, and to come to know it.  After my divorce, I went through a period of angry introspection during which a visceral feeling bubbled to the surface.  I felt in my heart that my people, all people, "the flock," the entire tribe had been misled; that we were passed down scripts and beliefs to assume as our own unquestioningly, at the expense of something far greater that was in hiding "somewhere out there."  And I was going to find it.  Interestingly, this feeling took on momentum as I was reading "The Da Vinci Code" during the last year of my marriage, and it just snowballed from there.  That book stirred some stagnant and murky waters.  Gratitude to Dan Brown!

So as I set out on a solo journey in my midlife, traveling light was a priority; keeping it simple.  To that end, as my ex and I prepared to sell our SF Sunset District home of the previous five years, we held a couple of weekend garage sales to part with items we had individually and together accumulated over the years and that neither of us minded parting with.  I remember smiling a lot during those garage sales.  Every item sold lightened my load; relieved me of burden.  The truth is, I am the polar opposite of a "hoarder."  I am a "purger."  "Spartan" is an attribute of my astrological chart.  I cherish the ability to move without restraint.  I aspire to maximize my time for pleasure, reflection, introspection, spending time with friends and loved ones, and learning.  For me, simplicity fosters clarity, and clarity promotes a peaceful mind.  My current living space is small, yet comfortable.  As such, I have more time (and money) to spend on experiences of my choosing.  I am able to live in the present far more readily than when I had a house to fill, maintain, and pay for.  This is true for me.  Simplicity is a virtue with myriad manifestations...

And with little to tether me, thus begins the adventure...

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