One Year In on the Pot Farm Facebook Tour

One year. 365 days. I have traveled a great deal in a year. I have meet many wonderful people. I haven't yet met all of those who have invited me to meet them. I haven't met nearly as many people as I desire to. But why? What is pushing me towards all of these beings? These beacons. My lighthouses.

I kept finding lighthouses in the people's homes who I was visiting. There were even a few cases in which the friend who I was visiting  had previously forgotten about the lighthouse printed on something, and denied their being one in the house.
The first stranger-friend (met within the game of "Pot Farm" on Facebook) who I visited had decorated her house with ceramic lighthouses of all sizes and types. They were beautiful. They reminded me of my grandma (who passed 18 years ago), and visiting the coast of Washington with her when I was a child. Wonderful memories.
My lighthouses followed me across the country, from Oregon to Wisconsin, to DC to Florida; they came to represent the beacons of light my friends are for me. Let your little light shine. More happy memories.
The not so happy memories of the last year: Loosing every bit of anything I had saved in my 45 years on this earth, including my journals and my kids' baby pictures; having my heart broken by my best friend; becoming truely homeless having absolutely nothing to my name besides a few suitcases of clothing and toiletries. Finalizing a divorce from my husband of 22 years, something I previously had never imagined I would ever do.
I don't consider living out of my car the times it was necessary as anything but what it has been: I have had fun camping with people and with my puppy. I have lived in a way that I was comfortable at the time.
My puppy. The first dog I have owned in my adult life. Athena Brooke was born on April 1, 2011, to a dog owned by a family of friends of mine while I was staying with them. She was one of a litter of five females and one male, who's mother Brandy, is a chocolate lab, and her father Rugar, is a blue pit bull. She looks like a black lab.... Silly dogs.
I have been in her life since the day she was born. She will be with me until one of us passes. I never thought I could have this much affection for an animal. It's pretty cool. I look forward to training her to work as a companion and certified service animal for me. She is already learning to know when I am not feeling well, and seeks to assist. Now it's a matter of teaching her what to do. I am looking forward to continuing to watch her grow and learn.
In the past year, I have seen places exhibiting beauty I have previously never even imagined. The sunny winter beaches of Florida, the desolate beauty of the Rocky Mountains, the powerful and immense waterfalls of Idaho and a sunset in in Arizona that took my breath away. From the never ending California highways to the gorgeous and deceptively solitary-appearing Olympic Forest in the back yard of the area I have lived for almost my entire life.
I long to see so much more. To continue to experience the beauty of this earth guided by the people who have invited me to their corner of this planet. Show me what you love about where you live. Please continue to share with me the beauty of you and the people around you.
My love and light goes out to the people who have, and continue to, share their love and light with me on-line. I haven't been the easiest of people to be friends with sometimes, I have many issues that I am continuing to learn from. I have been challenged with many lessons this past year from which I continue to learn and grow with the love and support from so many friends who have reached out to me on FaceBook. Thank you.
For the romantic interests... I have attempted not to tease. This has been a year of on again off again romance with my best friend. Unfortunately, when I have been attempting to free myself of a love for someone who does not return that same affection, I fear I may have trampled on a few hearts. For this I sincerely apologize. This was truly never my intention.
If I chose to spend time with you online or on the phone, I was there, at that moment, entirely. Unfortunately, a spark of hope kept reigniting every time I saw my best friend, thinking he may have fallen for me. It takes a long time to get over the person who opens the proverbial cage door.
I have, and will continue to follow my heart. I have yet to know where it will end up leading me. Please, be patient with me in this regard. I have a bit of healing to do after 22 years of marriage.
My never-ending love and light continues to shine on those who have shared with me so incredibly much: from a moment in a train station where a story was shared, to a couple of weeks in a spare room. All of my friends are very dear to me, their gifts to me I will treasure forever.
Thank you all; my lighthouses of hope for this world (well, at least for my little corner of it). 

Now I am heading out for another trip: to celebrate my 45th birthday. Happy Birthday to me. Look out world, here I come!

Planning... THE trip

So, I am anxious to get back on the road. Now that a wonderful friend (a stranger only yesterday morning) came to my rescue (yes, being out of "green meds" causes me a desperate amount of pain and misery from nausea and massive pain issues, and it is enough to change my attitude about life... temporarily, often leading to dispair, but I digress....)

I am soliciting ideas on areas to visit. No more heading to a city unannounced. That doesn't work. I think it scares people. No, I am planning and announcing, and going ENTIRELY by my gut.

So far (as of Wednesday, 3 November 2010) have these destinations pencilled in: Florida, Wisconsin, Montana, Vegas, Texas & Virginia ... and I am ACTIVELY seeking additions. I am probably going to have the first few weeks mapped out in the next 48 hours.

I am EXCITED!!!!! Time to get this party STARTED!!!

Gramma Maggie 420

Since this journey has begun, it is time to create a space for just the journey.

This is it.

There are three seperate blogs that I will  be keeping. This is the one in which I will be documenting my journey to me, via the world.

This is a bit about who I am and what I am doing:

 

WHO AM I?!?

That is the question I am attempting to answer for myself during a journey around the country and world.

During this journey, I am hoping to visit anyone who is open to it. This can include my relatives, both those I know well and those whom I have yet to meet.

It also will include my “Pot Farm” friends from facebook.

I am also looking forward to visiting many of my friends who have moved to distant locals.

I know this much about myself:

I have the sense of humor of a 14 year old boy, and no “filter” between my brain and my mouth.

I am the mother of 3 children. I became a mom at the age of 17 after being told at age 15 that I wouldn’t be able to have children. I was married for 21 years to the father of my daughter, who is now 20. My sons are 26 and 24.

I am the grandma of 3 (identical twin girls who are 2 & a grandson who was born 10 days before my 40^th birthday who is now 4).

I am a biker. I grabbed a hold of the throttle after riding bitch for over 30 years with anyone who would let me. I won’t bitch again if I have the opportunity to ride. However, if that isn’t an option, I would always rather bitch, than cage.

I am  a writer and a survivor.

I am retired disabled with a “hidden” disability.

I am also a medical cannabis advocate. My only source of pain control at this time is cannabis. Just for reference, my pain level upon waking ranges from about a 5.8 (on GREAT days) to 8.5 on bad days. It averages 7.4 daily.

My disability: I experience chronic nerve pain in my pubic area, chronic pelvic pain &  a bladder condition called “interstitial cystitis”. I was prescribed Fentanyl (100x stronger than morphine) for over 7 years. I was informed by my physicians that I would never be able to completely cease using that particular pain medication or one similar.

Then, on my own,  I stopped it cold turkey in August of 2009.

In December of 2009, I was confronted by my own body failing me.. I began to loose my upper left peripheral vision. Then, it worsened in Spring of 2010, when my doctors informed me that I couldn’t have the tests that were my only hope of discovering the root of this illness taking my vision and the sensation on my left side, due to the implant that I have to control the interstitial cystitis. 

When I learned that I was loosing my vision, I decided that I needed to see more than just Washington State, where I have spent most of my life, save for living 9 months in Las Vegas in 1992. I have never visited most of the states in my own country. I have visited very little of Canada (a few day visits to Vancouver and Victoria, BC) and I have been in Mexico once as a teen for a few hours.

Last spring, after 21 years of marriage, I left my husband with only the clothes on my back.

Both God as well as the universe, have been attempting to make me aware that material things shouldn’t matter to me.

In 2005, the house I raised my children in was foreclosed upon while I was awaiting Social Security’s decision on my disability. 

Shortly thereafter, my husband failed to make the payment on our storage unit, and we lost all of our material memories save for a few photos we had been able to keep with us.

When I left my husband, he decided that I only deserved the possessions that he chose.

He even took possession of the pet house rabbit that I had purchased while I was separated from him in 2005.

A few weeks after I left, my ex had the Harley Low Rider that I had paid the majority of, and been the only person to ride for many months, repossessed.

He has the car, the house, the pet, the remaining bike, and all the items that he decided that he didn’t want.

I now have nothing to tie me down. Homeless by choice.

My children are grown, my grandchildren have excellent parents and are in great hands.

All I do is feel pain in my hometown. I have pretty much never seen anything except my home state save for a few short trips to neighboring areas.

Before I loose my vision; I want to see everything I can. I want to learn about other people in other areas, I want to see this beautiful world. I want to hear music from all around the world, beginning with different regions of the US.

I am doing this on the smallest of budgets. As I said, I have nothing. I do have a warm sleeping bag, some clothing and personal objects I require to live, and continue to document this journey around the world, as well as the journey into myself.

If I was to be honest about what this is, it is a journey to me, through exploring the world around me. 

Perhaps “Herriot the Spy” grows up and looks at the world around here, not just the people. I will be writing my life story, as well as a book about the people that I meet through the game “Pot Farm” on FaceBook.

I will be logging my travels as I visit my “Pot Farm” friends around the country, then hopefully around the world.

I welcome any and all feedback. Even though I may go through days and perhaps weeks, without posting much; please be patient, I may not have internet access or limited access for extended periods of time. I will continue to write even if it may have to be transcribed when I am able to return.

I am very much a hippie and I am trusting God and my inner intuition to guide me. I am only following my “gut instincts” to lead me where I need to go.

The current tentative plans are as such:

• My birthday (October 19^th), will be spent in the LA, California area with friends I most literally haven’t seen in 30 years. I hope also to meet and visit any “Pot Farm” friends in the southern Cali area during that time frame.
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• After I leave the LA area, I am being pulled towards the Bay area, as much of my family history is based in that are.
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•             Possibly after the Bay area: Eastern Oregon, Spokane, WA…. Then?????
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• On Christmas:  I will be in Utah with my wonderful friend who I refer to as my wife.
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• January: I hope to be in Florida visiting friends who have relocated to that area, as well as new friends I have acquired through “Pot Farm.”

ALL of these plans are completely fluid, tentative and conditional upon only my gut feelings.

At any point, I may be forced to return in order to assist my family.

For now, I am following God, my heart, my instincts… or just my crazy brain.