I’ve been house-sitting for my Aunt this past week while she’s away on a tropical vacation. I moved the Glitterbago on its maiden voyage about an hour away to her driveway. My intent for these two weeks (we're halfway through) was to have extra time to finish up my current efforts on the Glitterbago, so that next week I would be happily living in it as I drive away into the sunset towards Sunny Florida. That mostly includes finishing sorting and storing my possessions. But it also includes getting the DC electrical circuit checked out by someone who knows more than I do, so that my rolling home will be fully equipped with luxuries like running water and refrigeration.

Turns out the universe ain’t havin’ nothin’ of my plans.

The ice in my water jug froze in a really spectacular pattern.

FRIGID TEMPS = everything is frozen. I mean everything. Bottles and cans exploded. Somehow the gas lines seem to have frozen. I just went out to fetch something and noticed that my comforter was frozen. Wait!? HOW is my comforter frozen!? Ohhh the one-liter glass water bottle I’d been sleeping with exploded AND NOW MY BED IS SATURATED WITH FROZEN ICE-SHEETS AND ICE-BLANKETS.

But hey! Could be worse. You could have lost the cat. Oh wait! I did! (Worst house-sitter ever?) I seriously have no idea how. I went to bed one night and the next morning she was AWOL. Haven’t seen her in 4 days. I’ve searched in all the likely and unlikely places like the closets & inside the dryer. She’s just up and vanished.

And on top of this, I got sick again! It’s a sinus extravaganza! Just as I was getting over my last sickness.

AND we’re supposed to get another six inches of snow tomorrow.

It’s really like the universe is saying Heyyyyyy slow down, pal. What you need is a heavy dose of sleep and coziness. You could make it really super hard on yourself and struggle through living in a frozen home, sleeping in a bed that is literally made of ice, while your body deals with its latest infection and you feel like shit.

OR! 10 feet away is a much warmer empty house! With a snuggly bed! And a microwave! Chill the f out and just take it easy, will you? There’s no need to struggle. You’ve got plenty of time.

DO I, UNIVERSE!? Well, maybe. I don’t actually have anything planned out in advance specifically for this reason. I wanted to be able to go with the flow and be flexible. Not have a complex and rigid timetable to adhere to. I AM in a hurry, that’s for damn sure. And I see that the stress of that is 100% self-imposed.

Not really sure how losing the cat fits in. Maybe an extra opportunity to practice forgiveness. I mean there’s nothing that I’ve done to actually lose her. She just appears to have up and vanished. Still, it takes some pretty clear intention to not just give in to that internal voice that wants to tell me that it’s all my fault and that yes, I actually am a terrible person. But I know in my heart that that’s not actually true. The voice can keep talking, but I don’t have to believe what it says.

Maybe I’ll just go take a long hot soak in this luxuriant bathtub. Savor it while I’ve got it, right?

GLITTERBAGO ADVENTURES - WEEK ONE