My Nomad Journey – Weeks 4, 5 & Xmas

Happy Holidays everyone, for those who celebrate. Regardless how you commemorate these last weeks of the year, I hope this message finds you safe, healthy and spending time with those you care about. Even if that means you’re spending it with yourself!

I let myself lapse on the weekly post last week, since I was spending the time with friends here in Atlanta. So this week’s post will be a 2-week update. Also, this week’s update will be a bit shorter. Since I’ve been settled in at my friend’s house in Atlanta, there hasn’t been the travels that I’ve been writing about. Which is just fine during this time of year.

So let’s get into what the last 2 weeks have been like.

Here’s what I did:

I’ve remained stationary here in at Atlanta since arriving 2 weeks ago. I’m forever grateful to my friend for her hospitality and offering a place to hole up for a while. (She’s one of my oldest friends!) We’ve been visiting and catching up on old times. I’ve also been working extra hard on a current client project that has been very time consuming. It’s nice to be able to have a place to sit and focus for the time needed on this project.

On the first weekend here, our friend from Phoenix joined us for a “girls weekend”. We had a few days of visiting, catching up and doing winter activities like cooking, playing cards and just enjoying the indoors. We also did lots of teasing each other about old times and things we used to do (or not do) in the old days.

One thing my friend has done while she is taking time off is to book us for some creative outings. During the last 2 weeks, we have pooled our ideas and done things like:

• Went to see “A Christmas Carol” at the Alliance Theater. She got us great seats, very close to the stage. This long-running production added some minor words to the dialogue that really made this tale seem like it was taking place in modern day USA. For those who allowed it, the production presented our modern day problems of inequity and cruelty back to us through a historical lens. In THIS production, the redemption story of Scrooge really made me emotional. Must’ve been because it wasn’t being watched through a screen.
• Went to see “Wicked” at the movie theater on Christmas day. Since this holiday doesn’t carry the same meaning for my friend and me, we took ourselves out to the movies and thoroughly enjoyed this musical production on the big screen! If you loved “The Wizard of Oz” and have seen “Wicked” in the theater, then you’ll love this. If you haven’t, you’ll love this. For those who didn’t know, the play and movie are based on a series of books written by Gregory Maguire. He writes about the back stories that surround the events that unfold in “The Wizard of Oz”. I’ve read some of them, so I knew what to expect. It’s not “light” reading, but it is really thought-provoking. I encourage you to check out the books. Read them or just read the synopses, so you’ll know what to expect for the upcoming movies.
• Took the dog on some walks to get outside and get our bodies movings. I’ve been letting myself really indulge in extra sweets over the past few weeks, and I appreciated the walking as much as the dog and my friend! One day we went on a nature trail. Another day we decided to brave the drizzle in our raincoats. This turned into an absolute downpour before we got to the end of the block, so all three of us came back soaked.
• Went to play at an Escape Room over the weekend. We had 4 options to choose from, so we chose the “jewel heist” adventure. Each one is 60 minutes long. It turned out that we were about the only ones there, so we had the room all to ourselves. This turned into a competition (my friend is very competitive) and we were unable to complete the challenge on time. I think the folks running the place felt sorry for us, and since they didn’t have anyone else in the next time slot, let us continue on (with a LOT of clues) until we finally got to the end. That was a lot of fun and also very challenging. We debated over many of the clues and there were some things I simply never would have gotten in a million years.

We were also invited to enjoy a spaghetti dinner with one of my friend’s closest friends here in town. We got to be part of their family gathering, enjoy lots of conversation, good food and watch what a dinner event is like for a large family with teenagers and young adults. It was a hoot and very generous of them to let me come along.

Outside of the above, the last 2 weeks have been pretty quiet with mostly domestic activities. It’s been good spending time with my friends and weathering the winter (so far) at a place that I am familiar with. Work-wise, I was able to settle in to a routine here with long hours of writing/development work, calls/meetings and lots of planning and details. I was able to juggle between the kitchen, the office, the bedroom, and even a nearby coffee shop. Getting the work done wasn’t a challenge. Sometimes deciding where I wanted to be to DO the work was the hardest part. When I have to spend long blocks of time in deep concentration, I often have to find a place that removes all possible distractions and temptations. Even going to a coffee shop can be the difference between choosing chores over work. Recognizing this about myself is very helpful. Sitting in an office doesn’t solve this for me. I chalk that up to my Manifesting Generator type. LOL!

One other thing, and I can’t remember if I already wrote about this, I signed up for a national gym chain. I’ve been able to get back in the gym again and have been going at least 3 times a week. I really noticed how much my body misses the exercise. Even if I’m doing just a little bit! Now, I have the option to workout anywhere I’m staying and can even make stops on the long drives to take an exercise break, or a shower.

Lastly, I’m starting to question the value of my social media accounts. I mostly use them to help me get the word out about my podcast and to help share these amazing stories that people share with me on the show. Lately, though, I’m finding that more and more of the likes and follows are coming from bots and spam sources. Every day I have to block and delete at least 3-4 bots that have liked posts or started following my accounts. What a freaking waste of time. It makes me realize that I don’t put the work in to generate organic followers and I’m not sure I want to jump through all the hoops that social media requires. I love to consume some of the content that I come across, but I really don’t care about all of the circus tricks that it takes to feed an algorithm. Not sure what I want to do with this in the new year. I could probably benefit from some social media work, but have neither the time, interest or money to spend on it. Thoughts?

Here’s what I learned:

I’ve had to challenge the voices in my head that tell me I’m supposed to be out there traveling and adventuring and “doing more”. These voices have been with me my whole life and they are still chattering at me. I have to remind them that I AM “out there”. Just because I’m staying for a long period of time with my friend doesn’t mean that I’m not still out there. This period of my journey was intentional and planned. This was meant to be a rest period, spend quality time with friends and catch up with myself after all the departure preparations and travels so far. Just because I’m not out walking the streets and driving the roads right now doesn’t mean that I’m not still out in the world. I’m encountering new places here in my friend’s neighborhoods and meeting new people here in the Atlanta area. It all counts. It doesn’t all have to be hair-raising adventure, all the time. This is good. I just have to remind the “outdoor cat” in me that I’m actually doing what I set out to do.

I’ve lived alone for a long time, so I’m also getting into the routine of living with someone. While I’ve been staying with friends all along the way, while I’m here in Atlanta, I’m staying for a longer period of time. So I do check myself to make sure I’m doing my part, contributing, cleaning, helping with chores, offering ideas for dinners and more. The last thing I want to be is a grifter, so I worry constantly about doing my part and not being lazy. Perhaps I overdo it sometimes, but I find that I do better when I worry about it more, so I don’t find myself taking anything for granted and overstaying my welcome. I hope I’m not interrupting my friends’ routines along the way and being a pest.

I usually find myself detached from the holidays each year. These holidays don’t hold meaning for me anymore, since I believe they are manufactured to drive consumerism. I’ll save the rest of the commentary. I’ve been accused of being a Grinch by my spanish tutor. LOL! I had to explain to him that I’m not. The Grinch wanted to take the holiday away from everyone. I, on the other hand, just want to remove myself from it and do my own thing. I am not alone in this mindset and people like me are often surprised by people who insist on calling us Grinch, just because we want to go do our own thing. We aren’t trying to take it from you! It makes for interesting conversation. Anyway, what I wanted to say is that this year, I’ve not “suffered” the holidays the way I often can. Spending the time with friends has made it okay. Especially since we all kinda do our own things and enjoy it in our own ways. I was able to do what I believe the holidays are for… spend time, catch up and keep it low key. We don’t put pressures on ourselves and each other to do anything special, fancy or laborious. If we DO decide to do something, we all agree on it. There is no pressure. So this year, I send thanks to my friends with whom I’ve spent the time and who have let me be a part of their holiday experience.

I’ve noticed how much more I’m snacking lately. I was going to write a whole thing about it and my observations, etc. etc. But you know what, I think I’m just going to chalk it up to a few things. One, it’s the holiday and this shit is EVERYWHERE! I have been gifted cookies, been offered candy, etc. etc. etc. Like a dog, I eat ALL of it! Can’t even help myself. I think it’s the post-quitting-alcohol sugar addiction that I have still not resolved, even 3 years later. LOL I’ve been trying not to judge myself. I also think it’s a little bit about the winter weather/mood. It’s a comfort thing and I do find that even when I’m comfortable, I’m still reaching for something to chew. Nervous energy, maybe? I carry that with me at all times and being on the road or staying with friends doesn’t change that. I also think it’s a part of the overall theme of not knowing where all this will take me. Even though I live for the adventure, I still also crave answers, certainty, knowing. This has been with me my entire life and this is also one of the reasons I used to drink. This is proof that our addictions and bad habits are never really about the thing we are consuming or using.

Here’s what’s next:

Next up is the New Year’s holiday this week. We will take a few days off and relax some more. I’ll probably get my ass beat at cards again!

The next few weeks I will remain in Atlanta to work on this project and prepare for some work trips coming at the end of January and in February.

There are a few weekends that I will make day trips to visit friends in Tennessee and North Carolina. One trip, we are renting a cabin for a night in the Smoky Mountains. It will be great to catch up with these different friends. One I haven’t seen since early this year and the other, I’ve never met her in person! I’m looking forward to more of this one-on-one time, like I’ve been spending with the friends I’ve visited so far. And it’s more of the country I get to explore; areas I’ve not seen before in-person.

I also plan to make some little excursions to explore more parts of Atlanta on foot.

I continue to record and produce episodes of the Off the Comma podcast. If you haven’t checked it out yet, the link is below. I’ve take a little bit of a break in recording over the holidays, but will resume more regular recording again in January. I’m excited for all of the episodes that are coming in the new year!

I will be anticipating and looking ahead to where the road may take me in the springtime. More to come on that front.

I am also working on developing a longer-term strategy for my business, Off the Comma. I think I mentioned in an earlier post (or maybe that was a separate email blast) that I am open to exploring collaboration opportunities. Meanwhile, I’m working with my coach on strategies and exploratory paths to help me grow the business in ways that align with my purpose, intentions and the ability to continue to do it work from anywhere I choose.

And, as it seems to always be, the feeling continues to gnaw at me that somehow this journey will take me someplace I haven’t yet imagined. I’m already wondering (too early, perhaps) whether this might become a permanent way of life for me. We shall see.

Questions for you: What are you looking forward to in the year ahead? What is something you’ve been fantasizing about that you might consider pursuing? Where are you sitting on a comma? What would getting off that comma look like for you?

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 next weekend, or later, if I get caught up in the adventures of the journey. Be well my friends!

Want to hear other people’s stories about getting off their commas? Check out the podcast!

Are you sitting on a comma? Let’s talk! As an ICF certified professional Coach, I work with all kinds of people who are sitting on a comma and looking to find their next steps to get moving again. If this is you, let’s talk about your comma. Book a session and let’s get started. Or, if you’re not quite ready, you can book a short inquiry call and we can talk about it first. Both have high value for you!