Being happy wherever you find yourself

It has been six months now since I landed in Texas and not a full moon goes by without several folks questionings my seriousness about loving being in Texas and my intention to stay beyond my internship. Interesting the reasons why they think I wouldn't like it: uneducated folks running rampant, "ugly" terrain, too hot, too cold, too dry, too (insert weather issue here), republicans ruling the land, ect. These arguments seem to me to be arguments that could be made about any state or region if that is the lens in which you look at the world with.

I choose to see the beauty of a place that I live.

Texas is not grossly different from the other places I've lived. Everywhere has it's own beauty to offer and is filled with all sorts of different people making a great variety of choices about how they are living their lives. Texas is not better or worse than Washington, Alaska, Oregon, or California. All these states have areas they excel in and areas for improvement.

This internship was not my first choice; with all my heart I wanted Alaska to take me home so I could begin my career working with the local foods in my community. But this is where I ended up and to make a stink of it would be to add bad energy to a whole year of my life. Not worth it. Now I am not a spiritual person, but I do feel that there is a reason I am here and I intend to stay here long enough to let that reason come to fruition.

I have some goals for while I am here: gardening, preserving harvests, art projects, fiber working, hanging out with goats - all of which are challenging on a budget of zero.. but just one more reason to stick around!

It is a lonely life here, but I have been lonely before.

Some days I wake and look outside and all I can feel is blessed; I am blessed to be alive on our beautiful planet and blessed to have the resources to follow my passions. Other days I am mad at myself for ever having left Juneau and denying myself the experience of being rooted in a community and being surrounded by people that love me. (But Anna, there is time to have this experience as well.. Someday..)

This past week I have been crazy working on my resume to begin getting it out there. My initial job search will be focused on clinical dietetics for non-profit or government hospitals. I may have to be less picky as internship completion time approaches. In a perfect scenario, I would find a job in a smaller town where I could live like I do now, off the beaten path a bit.