Minnesota Rediscovered

I've made it to Minnesota. My son and I drove from California, stopping along the way at Kingman, AZ; Tucumcari, NM; Kansas City, MO; and finally to Prior Lake, where my sister lives. It was a good time to become reacquainted with my adult son -- we had plenty of time to talk and laugh together along the way. Hugo (my dog) was a good traveler, and we had sparkling weather all the way, not a drop of rain or flake of snow. Much gratitude for that!

Hugo relaxing in his car seat

Arriving at this time of year, I'm reminded of how much I've missed winter while living in California for the past 40 years.  I love the bracing cold, the drifting snowflakes, all of it -- okay, not the ice on the driveways or anywhere else.  At my age, ice is dangerous.

So far the weather has been mild, in the 20s or 30s, but we're headed for a cold snap for the next week.  We'll see how Hugo and I like that -- so far he seems pretty happy with going out and running around in the snow.  I've discovered that if he goes out without a sweater, his time outside is fairly self-limiting -- he runs around for a while, then makes a dash for the door.

The view from a window

I'm buying a house!  I looked at so many online before I left California, and my sister and brother-in-law had gone and looked at several, pronouncing one "perfect."  So the day after we got here, we looked at it, made an offer the next day, and in a few weeks -- I sincerely hope -- it will be mine!  It's a townhouse, only a short drive from my sister's house.  Cross your fingers that all goes well!

It's hard to uproot yourself at any point, but in the years of seniority it feels particularly difficult.  Getting here was a monumental task, but that part of it is over, and I'm looking forward to each moment of the future.

Me, feeling hopeful in Minnesota

Turn and Face the Strange . . .

I hate change. Seriously, I do -- when I move into a place, I put the furniture down and never move it again. Never. If I like the green curry or beef teriyaki at a restaurant, I will order that and nothing else, or if I do order the red curry, I will immediately regret it. I have worn my hair the same way for about, oh, 25 years now. So making all the changes I've made in the past seven years has been unsettling, to say the least: deciding to end a 28-year marriage, playing the dating game for the first time in 30 years, meeting and marrying a wonderful man, acquiring the little girl I'd always wished for, moving far from where I'd lived for most of my adult life, changing positions at work, actively planning my retirement -- and wondering where I got the ooomph to do it all, to uproot myself from essentially everything I've ever known and plunk myself down in a completely different world.

Accompanying all these life changes has been a creative change as well -- having defined myself as a writer since childhood, I am now reinventing myself as a photographer and artist. In a way, the change from being accomplished in my work and creative life to being a newbie, from being a teacher to a learner, from being verbal to visual, has been as startling and unsettling as any of the other major changes I've made -- in a way, more so. It involves literally seeing the world differently, from a different vantage point, and also opening myself up to experimentation, error, and failure, along with surprise, delight, and success. It has moved me way out of my comfort zone, but in the end, that's a good thing, because it allows me to see that hating change is a way of staying closed to life, of hoarding up and protecting what's safe and predictable, of saying no to the possibilities that still exist out there, no matter what stage of life you're walking through.

"So I turned myself to face me . . . " If nothing ever changes, then you never have to take a look at yourself, because it's all so well known. Take a chance. Turn and face the strange.

And here are some little orchids that are kind of strange.

[Thanks to Florabella Textures]