My Nomad Journey – Boynton Beach & Miami, Florida

[Week of January 18 and 25] I hit the road to eagerly get out of Orlando. There are many things about Orlando that people enjoy and it has become the home to over 2.5 million people. And… it’s not for me. From the heat, to the tourism, to the fact that every single freeway in the city (except one) is a paid tollway – it was not built for me. I acknowledge and appreciate all the people who happily call it home. The drive down to South Florida was smooth and uneventful (until I hit the traffic). It was fun to watch the temperature slowly increase as I drove. Ultimately, it was 10 degrees warmer in South Florida than Orlando. It didn’t stay that way! I should also mention that it was COLD in Florida during this time. “Jacket and hat” cold.

Here’s what I did:

I began my stay with Daniel and Sophia in Boynton Beach. This is about 1.5 hours north of Miami proper, but still very much city, city, city. We settled in for domestic life. Not a whole lot of “exciting” things to report, but it’s always good to spend time catching up, telling stories and exploring food together. I spent time working and recording podcast episodes. We enjoyed dinners together and some time sitting outside enjoying the weather. I took some walks around the neighborhood. I also got my car windows tinted. Daniel helped me find a mobile tint service who came to the house and got the job done quickly and efficiently. Gotta keep the heat out.

Daniel and I spent Saturday morning at a nature preserve (Sophia stayed home to take care of the dog and have some quiet time to herself). This park was close to their house and was a safe haven for alligators, birds of all kinds and other wildlife. The humans are contained on elevated walkways, out of the habitat. It was amazing to see all the critters and I took lots of pictures. After, we hit a popular brunch spot and loaded up on breakfast food. Other than that, we watched some movies and just caught up on good conversation. I squeezed in a few gym workouts, as well. I still keep those up every week, in every city.

I want to take a moment to offer a tribute to Leyla. Leyla is one of Daniel and Sophia’s dogs and she passed away a short time before my arrival in Boynton. She was a sweet girl who had an amazing personality. I remember taking her on walks back when I stayed with them in New Jersey, years ago. She was deeply loved and will be missed. Rest in peace, dear Leyla.

I moved on to Jennifer’s house in Coral Gables, Miami. We spent a little time catching up before her trip. We took care of some chores and errands and then I got her to the airport. I spent the next few days petsitting Chief – he’s a good boy! We took walks and hung out, and I also let him do things his mama doesn’t let him do, like get up on the day bed. LOL!

Two big things happened while staying at Jennifer’s. First, it got cold!!! Miami and Florida had a record-breaking cold front blow through. The temps dropped down to 40s/50s daytime and down to the mid-30s at night!!! This is VERY uncommon for Florida and Miami, specifically. The casita that Jennifer lives in was not built for the cold and there were some pretty chilly nights. I got to witness first hand what it’s like when the iguanas fall from the trees. I even tried saving 2 little ones I found in her yard. I moved them from the shade into the sun, in the hopes that they might warm up and be okay. It looks like one of them did, but the other did not. Unless the smaller one was taken by a bird or cat or something. LOL Second, Jennifer and one of her spiritual mentors treated me to a Cacao/Reiki/Soundbath healing session. If you’ve not done this before, think of it as a mix of tarot card reading, therapy, confession, and massage without touch. The sound bath part at the end was what it would be like if the massage therapist let me lay on the bed for an hour after massage and just listen to the spa music. While I characterize it in common terms, it was far, far more than that. I was moved spiritually and emotionally. I learned things about myself. I heard messages from deep within myself. And I connected with Fabiola, the teacher who performed the session and its ceremonies. I will save the rest for myself, as it was deeply meaningful. If you ever have an opportunity to do any of these things, much less all of them, I highly recommend. I am still carrying and practicing some of these learnings today.

Also while in Miami, I met up with one of my clients for a planning and strategy meeting. We talked about current and upcoming projects. It was also a good time to just connect and visit, as well. She and her husband treated us to a nice dinner in Brickell City Center, a part of Miami that is filled with high rises and cosmopolitan diversions – all overlooking Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.

Here’s what I learned:

In addition to spending time with my friends and continuing to learn more about them, I continued to reflect on my life, my journey and what I’m doing in the world. The session with the spiritual teacher also revealed some important messages to me about what kinds of things from the past I am still carrying with me. I looked at some of my self-beliefs. I also opened up to the concept of things I’m carrying that don’t belong to me – whether generational or societal. As a highly empathetic person, it is far too easy for me to carry other people’s things. I manifest this through people pleasing and approval seeking. I will continue to explore these things in myself and be open to sharing these learnings with clients, when asked.

Here’s what’s next:

As I mentioned in my prior post, from here I’m off to Las Vegas for a work assignment. I’ll make many stops along the way – both for work and to just break up the drive. I have mapped my route to go through:

• Tallahassee Florida, just a quick stop for the night to break up the drive
• Jackson Mississippi, a few nights so that I have a place to work for a few busy days
• Fort Worth Texas, a few nights to stop, work and take a moment to visit my mother’s grave – this place is also my birth place
• Albuquerque New Mexico, a few nights to stop and take care of some busy work days
• Then into Las Vegas for a week’s worth of client engagements and remote work

As always, please interact with this post. I love getting your questions, your thoughts, and your comments. I’ll reply when I’m able.

Please enjoy yourselves in this week ahead and look for another update from me about the adventures of the journey. Be well my friends!

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