Revisiting Routines and Problem Pillows

Mark, Darwin and I have temporarily swapped our sea gypsy life in the Caribbean for a road gypsy life in the United States. We load and unload our bags about once a week and do the same with our borrowed car. Sometimes we drive hours at a time from relative to relative with stops at friends’ places in between. We make ourselves comfortable for a week and … move again to another house, another area, another family, another mattress, another flat or poky pillow. We are bed surfing!

Every place has a different dynamic, different eating habits, different personalities and different things to do. We have gotten used to the routines, the different ways and adjust, time after time, filling our days with personal and other things to do and enjoying the company and environments.

In one place, we have the beach at our doorstep, a great playmate for Darwin and wonderful home cooked meals, at another place, we have plenty of space for us and the dog to be outdoors, pick apples for breakfast and feel useful in our efforts to help out, and in a third house, we enjoy a little bit of privacy, the happiness of our presence and the proximity to historical buildings and a river boardwalk.

In a couple of occasions, we enjoyed the company of friends with laughter, good food and tasty drinks as an added bonus. We exchanged life stories and invitations, met new family members and realized life is not easy wherever and however you live. We went on beautiful hikes over mountains and under the fall colors, in parks and historic town centers. Most time, however, is still spent indoors, behind our computers working on personal projects. And, the Western world is a good place to do so. In those circumstances, the fall climate is not bothersome at all. Once back on Irie, daily chores and lack of electricity, inspiration, time and energy due to the heat and humidity will take over again.

Of course, we managed to do some excursions as well. We visited New York City twice to meet friends, went camping and hiking with our good friends Scott and Lisa in New Hampshire before the real fall arrived, and followed Maine’s coastline for an afternoon, just the three of us. We stumbled across the Bush Estate, but, unfortunately Mr. W wasn’t home to hear what we had to say about him.

As much as we appreciate and enjoy all the hospitality and time together with friends and family, our need for our own space and life is growing. The cool air is still pleasant, but will soon enough turn into frigid, making it not so admirable anymore. The stressful way of living, the annoyances in traffic situations, the abundance of choices for everything, the narrow mindedness of some locals and long clothes are things we don’t care for. We are looking forward to our boat life in the tropics (and hope the temperature will be a bit more bearable by then) with all its advantages and disadvantages, but what I do miss the most at the moment is my one and only comfortable pillow!