POST 68 (DAY 74, Friday, 2020.10.23)
[Morning Entry]
An Egg-cellent start to today's energy.. with the influx of the BB20 event, I forgot (again) to eat eggs each day.. So, I made a quick stir fry with yesterday's leftover veggies/dish (carrots, cabbage, onion, garlic, quinoa) scrambled four eggs in and topped it with some spicy mayo.. so simple, so yum.. =D ..This past Wednesday, I had felt weak and tired all day.. that evening I decided to eat a few eggs, and then felt instantly better.. so I guess for the next two years or so, eggs will be a regular part of my diet.. I wonder if the vegan diet fatigues me due to lack of animal protein/fat.. though eggs were not a regular part of my diet in The
City, meat always has been a daily intake thing.. will keep monitoring..
Day 5 of the BB20 event.. Opalyn and
Ash have gone back to their respective places outside of WL.. Penny, Mike and Beau remain for a few more days to continue their on-site adventures.. The time sure flies here at WL, but its so rich/dense--like a scrumptious dessert (creme brulee?).. perhaps like living a dance.. it takes work, but its beautiful and so satisfying.. Yesterday, I mentioned to my fellow boots (Josiah and Clayton) that WL is where I'm staying.. "I have nowhere else to go--this IS my plan B..".. I stated somewhat jokingly.. we all chuckled together.. deep down knowing the truth of it.. the truth is that I'm willing to make things work here, because I've seen what else is available.. WL happens to be the lifestyle that I would create (
permaculture, homesteading, laboratory), AND I can just plug into the Bootcamp program without having it build it from ground zero myself.. Had I known about it sooner, would I have come then?--likely not, because my person was not ready for the mindset shift.. Recently, I wrote an entry about having lived a life that has trained and
led me to be at this point today.. The person I was even a few years ago was not ready because i would have tried to find a way out at the first sign of discomfort.. I needed more training, to earn the understanding of the value of a place like WL..
STORYTIME:
The last job I had in the city before I arrived at WL was being a service advisor for a small auto repair garage, near Seattle.. that was my dream job, because it combined customer service with cars--two of my favorite things at the time.. I learned so much while working there for a year.. And I did not want to leave.. Sadly, I knew within the first month there that I might not make it long, simply because of the poor air quality in the work environment.. There was a time when my lungs could handle such frequent exposure to fumes (and the guys there don't really seem to mind it much), but at some point in my life, I developed a sensitivity that disables/chokes my breathing around chemicals in the air.. I wore a mask (before the covid mandate), and people often asked "why..?".. Most people, including my coworkers did not understand, and i did not feel the need to convince anyone that the symptoms are real.. I placed a fan near my work area to help ventilate, and opened the door to let the fumes out even when it would make the front office quite uncomfortable.. For me, I prefer the ability to breathe over a mild temperature discomfort.. People still did not understand, but I stayed with it for months.. part of me wanted to give it at least a year--maybe it would get better?.. Maybe I'd get used to it?.. It got worse.. as much as i loved the work, I felt stressed each day because of the conditions.. April 2020, I gave my notice and by May, I had taken a leap into the unknown..
Would I deliver pizza?.. would I apply for a deskjob in the IT or Massage Therapy industry?.. would I become a personal assistant to a millionaire perhaps?.. What would happen to my finances?
I began to look for work-trade programs.. WL was not yet on my radar, but somehow I came across one of the
rocket mass heater videos on youtube.. I grew fascinated by the science and efficiency.. then Paul said "If you like this sort of thing..".. and I thought "WHY, YES I DO like this sort of thing~!..".. further exploration into WL exposed me to
permaculture for the first time--and I found that fascinating also!.. Homesteading has always been on my radar, but I had no idea how it would become real.. The more I explored WL, the less interested I was in the 10-20 or so other work-trade programs that seemed less attractive (honestly) in comparison to WL.. by June, I was convinced that I would have to earn my way into the Bootcamp program somehow, and dedicated most of my free time to preparing myself to be there, listening to podcasts, watching YT videos, and minimizing my ties to The City.. Things wrapped up earlier than anticipated for me and WL was able to accept me a couple weeks earlier than planned..
I guess I'm so serious about being here because of what WL represents to me--
wellness for the human and its home.. its the
thread that seems to connect everything that goes on here, from the BB20 event, to other events, to Bootcamp, to
Deep Roots, and of course, to the kittens.. its all connected by this thread.. just my opinion..
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