new chapter

As you read this post, I will be at the end of a great adventure.

the night before departure: the lunar eclipse

 I know, I am sneaky. You didn't realize I was away, did you? Actually, as I type I am hours away from starting my adventure.  You see, I am headed to Bali.

When I first read about Soulful Escape to Bali I never dreamed it was something I would or could do. But here I am, bags almost packed, almost ready to walk out the door and begin the 36 hour journey across land and sea.

Unlike other trips, I really haven't done any preparation. I have read very little, I have no expectations other than it will be magical, it will be tropical, probably hot and humid but wonderful none-the-less because, well, it will be Bali! 

It is a trip made with money my mother gave to me just days before she died. My mother loved to travel and she loved to hear about my traveling adventures. So I am making this trip in part to honor her memory, to celebrate her life and her gifts to me. I am going to Bali to wind up a year of grieving. 

Right now, it is all ahead of me. I am still in my robe, I have changed all the bedding and am doing laundry. I've cleaned out the refrigerator and made lists for the Husband. I am feeling the anxiety expressed through all this compulsive doing right before I leave. (oh yes, I sewed that fucking quilt in the week before my departure!)

And yet, as this publishes, I will be packing up all the memories to bring home. 

There have been so many endings this past year, I feel I have shed so much of myself in grief and in change. But now I understand how I have emptied in order to fill anew.

I have packed what is essential and I carry with me all that I will need, both coming and going, emptying and filling.

See you on the other side!