It will be 16 years this August the 4th since I sponsored a Native American tipi ceremony in which I proclaimed a request of the Great Spirit for “massive life change.” At the time I felt completely stagnant in life and had come to dislike nearly everything about it.
The Navajo medicine man and his wife whom I asked to conduct the ceremony wondered out loud if maybe I shouldn’t temper my prayer a bit, as “massive life change” is, well, massive. And maybe I might be asking for more than I could handle. But I wanted the change to be massive and I wanted it now (as in then).
Maria and I are in the midst of moving (as mentioned here) leaving our ridge-top view and aesthetically pleasing but very impractical home we’ve been renting for the past two years to take over the homestead of a couple with a five-year-old and plethora of animals who left the area to take charge of a large ranch in South Dakota. It was a convenient switch for all of us, as the couple who wish to sell their homestead in New Mexico know that a homestead left unattended can fall into all sorts of disorder and even theft. And for us, we get to live in a smaller but more practical home without the views, but many other benefits.
So I had to count how many times I’ve moved since my ceremony of 16 years past. It’s been 11 moves, two of them across the country and one of them from city living to off grid. 11 in 16 years and isn’t moving so much fun. And this one is only temporary while the owners seek to sell, meaning that move number 12 is on the horizon.
We are quite exhausted. This morning, after spending our first night in our new home we’re figuring out the unique attributes of our new abode, getting used to a wood stove that works quite a bit differently than what we’re used to, and oh by the way, the chickens.
The couple left us with 11 egg-laying hens, and we’ve never cared for chickens before. They are beautiful and curious creatures and I’m sure we’ll have it down before long, but for now everything is new. Namely that we’re increasing our already healthy addiction to eggs, as they’re producing roughly eight new cocoons of goodness each day.
Last night as we had just finished dinner and were beginning to zone out from the exhaustion Maria says something to me that my mind could barely comprehend, but I heard “chicken” somewhere in there. I was at first confused as we hadn’t cooked any chicken, didn’t have one thawing in the sink. What could she be talking about? Then she repeated herself and it hit me that we had forgotten to lock the chickens in their hen house for the night to keep them safe from the coyotes, and it was well after dark. “Crap,” I said as I jumped up to grab my coat and headlamp to attend to this new responsibility.
So, all this to say that we are still completing the move, quite worn out, and are taking the week off from publishing essays to the DEEPER side of things.
We look forward to connecting with you again next week as we emerge from yet another huge life change — and I’m sure many revelations to unfold as a result.
Blessings,
Glenn & Maria
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Yay chickens! Blessings.