2010.12.24 Reflecting on a Year of Growth

Once again the end of another year is upon us and somehow we are surprised. But reflecting on our last 12 month it becomes clear just how much we’ve done and how much we’ve learned. We have been so fortunate to have this time to explore, not only the wonders of nature, but our own nature. The discoveries we’ve made have allowed us to reassess and redesign our lives “following the path with heart”. Mindfully making these choices to follow this path, admittedly, has not been good for our bottom line, but it has brought us both incredible happiness, contentment and peace which no amount of money can buy.
Since our last post we continued to do many day hikes and even got Mark, Mike’s twin brother, out to Kanab for a couple of days to explore ruins not far from our house. It was fun to share this experience with him and see his amazement at the beauty and mystery of the area.

Being close to family, we discovered, was the one thing we missed about California. On a whim, I did a search for property and found a small 1920’s bungalow just down the street from Mark’s house in Rio Vista. The owner was very close to foreclosure, so the price was very fair to put it mildly. It was with mixed feelings that we headed west on November 1st leaving our little Kanab house for our “winter home” in Rio Vista. It’s a nice solid old house that needs very little work. At 1,000 sf it feels huge compared to our 800 sf Kanab house. Reminiscent of the Long Beach bungalow, it immediately felt like home. The most appealing part of house, though, is its proximity to family. Mark and Tammy, and nieces, Maddie (13) and Tillie (10) are literally around the corner and we enjoy seeing them often. Daughter, Jessica and granddaughter, Taylor (7), are just an hour away and we have been thrilled to spend weekends with them. We look forward to being a part of their lives in the most positive way we can.

The other important reason for wanting to spend time in California is, yes, the “W” word. Work. Of course, we knew we couldn’t continue our life of leisure forever, but we wanted to take the time to explore our interests and talents and “redesign” our concept of what work is. We found that it’s a lot less about making money and more about finding a challenging and meaningful livelihood. To our surprise, our search led us both back to our roots in construction. It’s in our blood, I guess. We started a consulting business, originally named Mike McTeer Consulting, providing design and CAD services for heavy civil construction. Our commute consists of going down the steps to the basement office. We work long hours. Sometimes we work on weekends or until 2:00am. Sometimes we walk the dogs or go to the farmers market in the middle of the day. But everyday we do what we love and love what we do.

We spent much of the year exploring and learning about this amazing natural world we live in. There is something about being in the presence of natural beauty that creates a connection between your soul and the universe. We have seen the fingerprints in the adobe clay of a thousand year old cliff dwelling. We have touched the footprints left by dinosaurs 50 million years ago. We have stared up at the Milky Way till it was almost light. We have watched the power of thunderstorms rolling across the Kaibab Plateau. This connection inevitably will change the way you perceive your world and your place in it. It’s humbling. We highly recommend it.

We also came to appreciate the importance of our health. Through education and awareness we understand that the health of our body, mind and spirit has a direct effect on ALL aspects of our life. We are making our health a priority by eating healthy, exercising and meditation and feel the ripple effect in everything we do. Having a healthy body, clear mind, and open heart is absolutely liberating and worth every bit of effort we put into it.

So what’s in store for 2011? Impossible to predict and ridiculous to even try, but we hope to:
• Split our time between Kanab and Rio Vista, spending as much time with family and friends as possible.
• Hike when the weather is good and windsurf when the wind is blowing.
• Work hard doing what we love to do.
• Be a positive impact on every person we encounter.
• Stay healthy so we can fully enjoy all of these wonderful things.

Wishing everyone good health, happiness and peace throughout the year.

View photos here.