Two of my favorite's in the whole world.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
It is all about LIVING
Life is so precious. It seems sometimes that we are all so caught up in consumerism, focus on money, profits, and more more more that we tend to forget that the sun is shining and the flowers are blooming or that the birds are singing and the waves are continuing to crash on the shore. Atleast, this is what I have caught myself doing. I am so thankful for all of the goodness that the universe has brought into my life.
I am focusing on really living life. It is a new way of looking at things. For so long I have been caught up in the mindst of "If I only work and save money, I will some day be able to retire." or "If I go to school and study blah blah blah, I will get a good job and make some good money and buy a nice house and drive a nice car and sit in traffic EVERY morning and evening alongside of alot of people that are doing the same."..........Well, I have never been the same as everyone else. I ahve always stood a little further away from the crowd or have always done things just a bit differently. Now that I am 33, been engaged twice (What a trip those two relationships were), quite drinking alcohol and quite smoking, started working out daily, well......I think I am ready to begin to live for me finally. I mean that I am ready to start making decisions based off of what is best for ME and the situation I am in NOW. I am so tired of living and making decisions based off of my past or what has been said to me in the past. I guess you can say I am begining to live MY life, not my parents life, not my friends life, but Andrew Hickman's life. It is so easy to get caught up in judging ourselves, questioning ourselves, limiting ourselves, and over time, becoming quite selfish and only thinking of ourselves.
I am tired of judging myself, my decisions, and my way of thinking. So...It is all about living life fully aware of who we are involved with and what we are truely out to give in order to get a well balanced life. That is my journey, each day I get closer and closer. Now I need to focus on being at peace with all of what I just wrote, OUT, Andy
I am focusing on really living life. It is a new way of looking at things. For so long I have been caught up in the mindst of "If I only work and save money, I will some day be able to retire." or "If I go to school and study blah blah blah, I will get a good job and make some good money and buy a nice house and drive a nice car and sit in traffic EVERY morning and evening alongside of alot of people that are doing the same."..........Well, I have never been the same as everyone else. I ahve always stood a little further away from the crowd or have always done things just a bit differently. Now that I am 33, been engaged twice (What a trip those two relationships were), quite drinking alcohol and quite smoking, started working out daily, well......I think I am ready to begin to live for me finally. I mean that I am ready to start making decisions based off of what is best for ME and the situation I am in NOW. I am so tired of living and making decisions based off of my past or what has been said to me in the past. I guess you can say I am begining to live MY life, not my parents life, not my friends life, but Andrew Hickman's life. It is so easy to get caught up in judging ourselves, questioning ourselves, limiting ourselves, and over time, becoming quite selfish and only thinking of ourselves.
I am tired of judging myself, my decisions, and my way of thinking. So...It is all about living life fully aware of who we are involved with and what we are truely out to give in order to get a well balanced life. That is my journey, each day I get closer and closer. Now I need to focus on being at peace with all of what I just wrote, OUT, Andy
Friday, April 17, 2009
Realizations
I guess it takes time to realize certain things. I think I can sum alot of things in this world to the feeling of FEAR. Think about it. Having fear causes us to not take steps in our lives just about every day. If we don't do something, inevitably, that decision is based off of being fearful of the results. Maybe we are fearful because of experiences we have had in our past. It all comes back to being fearful. Not that I am looking at fear in a negative way, but mainly I am simply trying to make myself more aware and concious and am trying to be more courageous and bold in action. I think I am in the midst of manifesting some changes in lifestyle. Someone asked me today, what would the harm be if I went forward with my plan.....And I could not think of anythin that is irreversible.
So it is nice to become more aware of patterns I have in my life. Anxiety and loss of control are two areas in which I am focusing. Paying closer attention to the wonderful things I have in front of me. Living in the present and not so much in the past or the fearful future and what might happen if such and such take place......What if?? What the hell if?? It is very nice and reassuring to have a partner like Rosemary. She teaches me so much about faith and patience and being open to new opportunities and so much more....Life is great, even in the tough times. I love being able to truely feel that Rosemary and I are there for one another no matter what happens. And we don't have to get married to do so. It is going to be nice to not have a label that a majority of America holds. Simplified and Sustainable.
This blog should be interesting over the next 6 months, I hope. I am hoping that the next 6 months will take to not only to Guatemala, but also allow me to publish photos from deserts in the southwestern United States. I will look forward to reviewing these entries.
So it is nice to become more aware of patterns I have in my life. Anxiety and loss of control are two areas in which I am focusing. Paying closer attention to the wonderful things I have in front of me. Living in the present and not so much in the past or the fearful future and what might happen if such and such take place......What if?? What the hell if?? It is very nice and reassuring to have a partner like Rosemary. She teaches me so much about faith and patience and being open to new opportunities and so much more....Life is great, even in the tough times. I love being able to truely feel that Rosemary and I are there for one another no matter what happens. And we don't have to get married to do so. It is going to be nice to not have a label that a majority of America holds. Simplified and Sustainable.
This blog should be interesting over the next 6 months, I hope. I am hoping that the next 6 months will take to not only to Guatemala, but also allow me to publish photos from deserts in the southwestern United States. I will look forward to reviewing these entries.
My best friend
I have learned a whole lot from Ms. Athena. I was watching her take in our trip to Tallahassee. She is 16 years old and seems to get younger with age. She becomes mre and more like a puppy. She is probably one of the most special animals I ahve ever had an opportunity to live with. She dances on her side and digs her head into the pillows and barks and jumps for treats. Her ears speak volumns, you see how they kind of tip over. When she wakes up she has sleepy eyes that make me fall in love ith her, Every morning. She cannot ear anymore, so it is very easy to always be there when she wakes up. She is my best friend, so is Marley and so is Katie, but Athena and I ahve a different relationship, just as all parents have a different relationship with each child.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
TAX DAY
Yippee, my bank account is down to zero for the first time in exactly one year. I pay my taxes.
So Rose is working a festival in NC for the next 4 days. It is becoming more and more visible amongst my friends that money is not really available. Jobs are scarce. So I am being faced with some changes that will more than likely lead me to live a non-traditional lifestyle this year. I am beginning to figure out that secretly I want a non-traditional lifestyle. I always have been this way deep down. So here I am faced with a chance to do so. It will involve the act of letting go of my current situation and trying harder to receive new opportunities.
My current career situation is straining, stressful, and not financially viable for my cost of living. And I don't have a large necessary cost of living, especially after paying all credit cards off and all student loans off. So I figure in these times I should really be doing something that is making me happy as well as compensating me for my time. I know this sound like a utopia and a fantasy for some, but I want to incorporate it into my life truly. I mean, WHY NOT!!! When you are barely making ends meet, or barely loving the person you are in a relationship with, what do you normally do. Some say I should do whatever it takes to stick it out during the tough times, others say move on and be happy and be available for new opportunities, others offer no opinion what-so-ever. I am leaning towards a little of all of these.
What will be, will be. I am going to have faith in myself, my decisions, and be open to anything that may come my way. I have a possible opportunity to restore another airstream, a 197o something 27 footer....Who knows......As long as I remain flexible and open, I will be OK. Rose always says, no matter what happens, we will be taken care of.......I think she is right.
Wishing everyone a wonderful evening on tax day. It is a payday for our government. Thanks to us they can spend all they want. I wish they could see that sooner or later, they too will run out of other people's money to spend....
Good night
So Rose is working a festival in NC for the next 4 days. It is becoming more and more visible amongst my friends that money is not really available. Jobs are scarce. So I am being faced with some changes that will more than likely lead me to live a non-traditional lifestyle this year. I am beginning to figure out that secretly I want a non-traditional lifestyle. I always have been this way deep down. So here I am faced with a chance to do so. It will involve the act of letting go of my current situation and trying harder to receive new opportunities.
My current career situation is straining, stressful, and not financially viable for my cost of living. And I don't have a large necessary cost of living, especially after paying all credit cards off and all student loans off. So I figure in these times I should really be doing something that is making me happy as well as compensating me for my time. I know this sound like a utopia and a fantasy for some, but I want to incorporate it into my life truly. I mean, WHY NOT!!! When you are barely making ends meet, or barely loving the person you are in a relationship with, what do you normally do. Some say I should do whatever it takes to stick it out during the tough times, others say move on and be happy and be available for new opportunities, others offer no opinion what-so-ever. I am leaning towards a little of all of these.
What will be, will be. I am going to have faith in myself, my decisions, and be open to anything that may come my way. I have a possible opportunity to restore another airstream, a 197o something 27 footer....Who knows......As long as I remain flexible and open, I will be OK. Rose always says, no matter what happens, we will be taken care of.......I think she is right.
Wishing everyone a wonderful evening on tax day. It is a payday for our government. Thanks to us they can spend all they want. I wish they could see that sooner or later, they too will run out of other people's money to spend....
Good night
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Our Life is Ever-Changing
I decided to write a new blog because the Airstream blog was mainly about the restoration. Now that we have the trailer restored and on the road, it was time to start writing about our travels. When I speak of "we," I mean Rosemary and I. You know, we met because my dog attacked her dog, causing over one thousand dollars of damage. Now we all live under multiple roofs together for varying amounts of time at many different locations. We now have a lake house, a beach house, a mountain house, ...and basically a "anywhere we want to stay" kind of house. So that is what this blo will be all about, all of our lives traveling together. Rosemary and I, and our 3 dogs Katie, Athena and Marley.
So our latest travels took Rosemary to the beach. It was the first trip we made in the Airstream. After 2 weeks, the dogs and I came down t visit and see what it was like to all live under one roof. I was surprised at how well we all did. It showed us just how good we have it. It was very comfortable for all of us. It was a real uplifting experience to know that if we had to, we could live in our Airstream, with our whole family. however, we have decided to purchase a camper top with sliding side windows and a roof rack. I am also going to invest in a sliding rear window for the truck. This will allow us to have the dogs in the bed area while traveling. So, these are the upgrades we need in order to travel comfortably with 3 dogs for long periods of time.
We are thinking of renting out the house in Atlanta to a friend, keeping one of the bedrooms and the basement for storage. We are hoping to find someone that will be able to help with the dogs while we travel to Guatemala in June. We'll see. There is really so much going on right now that it amazes me how well we are holding it together. We are continuously filling our schedules with stuff to do. We are going to be all over the place for the next 6 months. I am more than likely going to take a leave of absence from my company in order to clear my mind. I'm not going to even get into discussing that subject. So, there should be some good material in this blog over the next year. There is no telling where we will end up.
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