By the time my initial visit to Windward was over, I had decided to make the move to live here. My move date was July 20, almost two months away. Plenty of time to "wrap things up", say good-bye to family and friends, and drive off to the wilds of Washington.
I went back to Southern California hitting the ground running; more than a little manic, making a million plans and doing, doing, doing. By the second week in July, I was mostly watching TV and napping. My feet felt like lead; everything seemed to require so much effort. I looked forward to the peace and quiet and slower pace of Windward; on the other hand, I was mourning the upcoming loss of Starbucks, movie theaters with sixteen choices and family get-togethers for birthdays, etc. As Joyce said, I had a foot in both worlds.
The kids make Holly feel welcome
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So by the time I waved good-bye to my mother, I was tired, hot and overwhelmed. I had a camper to sleep in on the way up, but between the heat of the Central Valley and my pug's nervous scratching, I got no sleep the first night.
Along the way, I stopped in Northern California to visit friends. It was an emotional visit; after two nights there I was less rested than when I arrived.
The last four hundred miles of driving was a sleep-deprived fog. I arrived at Windward at 4:30 AM, fell into bed and spoke to no one the next day. I even hated my much-loved dog by then.
But the open-armed welcome I received was amazing. Everyone understood how harrowing the moving process is. Nobody expected me to be anything but exhausted or wanted me to hurry up to settle in. On the contrary, everyone encouraged me to take it easy. This is not how people in the fast lane think.
Tucker and Chang get acquainted
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I decided to live at Windward to accomplish two goals: to experience living in a community, and to have time and opportunity to establish a home-based business. My first approach is to make mini-quilts to market next year. I also will be working off-site at a local hospital on a very part-time basis, to stay self-supporting while I build my business. The opportunities and support here at Windward are tremendous, and I look forward to my first year as I build a foundation for creating value!
And incidentally, my pug Chang agrees that Windward is a great place to live. We are both happy here.
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