Holy crap! It's 2016--do you know where your inner child is?

Hard to imagine I began this adventure six years ago. I had just purchased my travel trailer and began to dissolve my conventional life style in pursuit of a "simpler" life. I went searching for alternatives to the unhappy place I was in: large suburban home, mortgage, 5 cars (it's true!) and working for bills to pay for a lifestyle that was neither sustainable or fulfilling. I went to San Francisco, Seattle, Black Rock Desert, and finally, Portland.

I have to admit, Portland was like a bad breakup: all the hopes and dreams I held for Portland have collapsed as rents escalated and home prices shot wildly out of my reach and the reach of many. I slunk back to Los Angeles no less determined to discover the Mecca of affordable and alternative housing. I'm living in my friend's below market rent guest house while I continue my quest for the perfect place to live. But here's a thought: maybe I'm already in it? Hmmm, that's another blog topic!

One of my Facebook friends and even my estranged sister accused me of being zaney and "all over the place." This is kind of my style so I'm cool with it--I'm still the same person I've always been; I like adventure and I'm determined to find my nest. So I say goodbye to Portland and hello to my new, zaney and "all over the place" options.

So here they are: start a cooperative housing community, buy an old New England farmhouse (sorry Fresno), buy desert property and build an earthbag house and guest house, buy a condo in Austin, Texas, buy land in Paso Robles, California and site a 400 square foot modular house, move to Belize (insert Italy or any other faraway place here), buy an Airstream trailer, join an eco village or buy a tiny house and live rouge.

I've accomplished a lot of stuff from my old list, including graduating from college, which did a lot for my self-esteem but messed with my debt-to-income ratio. My divorce is final and now I have support but, oh yeah, more debt to the IRS. I have the same job because no job in planning (my field of study) was forthcoming but it turns out I really like what I do which is working with kids with autism. I have a new "client" as a part-time job, I volunteer with a local environmental group, network with tiny house peeps and continue to feed my creative side. I make no excuses for my zaney, "all-over-the-place" self; it's who I am and I embrace it.

So get used to my idea-of-the-week posts on Facebook because my life is about discovery and nurturing my inner child as I wind down my 50's and welcome my 60's.

Thanks for reading my blog!