We are all connected on this planet my friend. Yes, each and every one of us is bonded in some way. I know this statement to be true, as I have seen it played out countless times. But even I, the Queen of Positivity, can be blown away by what the Universe conspires. Let me share an amazing story.
First, the background:
My husband Rick and I have decided to put our home up for sale and travel the country. Since we met over 6 years ago, we have traveled to over 30 states and a few provinces in Canada.
I love travel, but Rick would tell you he doesn’t. However, every time we leave on an adventure, even he will admit, he has a great time. The people we meet and the beautiful scenery; we wouldn’t trade it for anything. We call it gathering “Speech Material.”
We have lived in our current home for over 4 years. It is a place complete with an outbuilding we have christened our “Cottage of Possibilities.” It is a location where we continuously have gatherings. The problem was, we grew weary of being a slave to our mortgage and upkeep of the property.
Last fall, we began to entertain the thought of building a “Tiny House” to live in, one with little maintenance. Perhaps you have seen them on TV or through social media – homes built on trailer beds, tiny but efficient. As we talked about this, another idea popped into our heads. What about touring the country in an RV?
“Wait a minute Debby,” you might be saying to yourself. What about IPPW? What about our gatherings and get togethers? How would you keep everything going?
I, along with my wonderful team, have been working on creating an organization that could run with or without me. We’ve had a vision on bringing positivity throughout the world, so the pieces were already in place for me to run the organization from a distance.
Now, don’t for a minute think I am leaving anyone behind. No, we are leaving the house, but not the organization. Other than the actual meetings no longer being held at the cottage, you will probably not even notice the change.
We want to travel the warm part of the country while New England is blanketed in snow, but when the weather turns warm again we will be close by, exploring the region in search of a new place to build a tiny home.
As for my non-IPPW life, I am a motivational speaker who speaks throughout the country and travels anyway, so no changes there. I also write. I’ve had a couple of book ideas I have wanted to work on and just can’t seem to find the time. By leaving the house and all the maintenance, my time will free up. I can actually do more things I love. You ain’t getting rid of me … you will actually hear from me more often.
We are also starting to open new chapters of IPPW, and this will allow me the luxury of traveling to help the new clubs get up to speed.
OK, back to the connection story:
For our new home on wheels, we have decided to forgo the usual RV, and convert a cargo van into our palace. Yes, we thought about an actual camper, and everything in between. But when we pooled all our wants and needs, this option has the best of everything.
Rick is in charge of the project, while I am in charge of getting the house ready for sale, packing up, selling off our furniture and storing things we can’t part with.
We bought a terrific extended van and added 4 ft. extended top. Rick is currently insulating it and making it beautiful inside (my requirement).
All is going well. Everything is shaping up with our expected departure from New England being the last week in October. We will first head to California to see my daughter in a performance. Then we’ll stay in CA for a month or two, visiting friends, touring the west coast, and making new connections. We will be on vacation until the end of the year. Then we will be back working, writing, speaking and growing IPPW. Travel to Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas are on our agendas.
Our current family includes Raskin, Rick’s service dog (a seasoned traveler), and two cats, Maddy and Molly (who are indoor kitties). Adventurer Maddy will probably not enjoy the riding part, but I think will be very adaptable while we are camping. She thrives on interaction and adventure. Molly…not so much. Molly is a cat that likes to keep to herself and until this past year, was never seen in the house if we had any company. We call her Stealth Kitty as few have ever seen her. Although it took time, she has decided I’m OK,and now adores me. She also likes Rick’s right hand (he can pat her while sitting in his chair as long as he doesn’t look at her … yup, a neurotic cat). It has taken a great deal of patience to become her friend, but now she is even more affectionate than Maddy.
OK, honestly, we’ve worried about how they will handle traveling, the smaller confinement and being away from the only home they’ve known. But what could we do? We love them, they are our fur children. We couldn’t just give them away. They love us just as much as we love them and need to stay together. Somehow we felt we could make this work. With the second story on the van allowing them to have more room to play, it made it easier to justify them coming along.
But the fear of them jumping out of the van (we’ve got 4 doors in this thing) scares us as they might be frightened and run off, never to be found again. The only thing we could do was to trust the Universe would make everything work.
Now for the amazing part, proving the Universe is always working on our behalf.
Let me introduce you to my dear friend, Carol. We’ve been buddies for over 28 years. She is an Earth Angel. She took me under her wing when I was changing my life, leaving dysfunction behind and I’ve never let her go. I live about 40 minutes away from her now, and I don’t see her as often as I would like.
We went to lunch the other day after a 6-month absence and got caught up on each other lives. I found out her beloved dog, Anthony had passed away. How sad. I know how much she loved him.
I told her about my Van Adventures, and she was immediately excited for us. I told her about our kitties and our concerns about taking them in the van. I barely spoke my fear when she said, “I’ll take the cats.” What? I had never said I wanted to let them go, but here she was offering to take my beloved “kids”.
She explained she was lonely after Anthony died (only two weeks ago) and she has wanted another pet. She actually only wanted one kitty but when I told her they are a pair, she said “Yes,” she would take the twosome.
It is the answer to a prayer I had never made. But, it is the perfect situation for everyone involved.
Here is how the Universe conspired.
- Anthony died (he had lived a long happy life.) It was his time.
- Carol needs new “fur” children.
- My kitties need a new, loving home.
- Maddy and Molly would be far happier living with Nannie Carol than living in a camper van.
- I could not think of a better person to entrust my babies to. I am at peace knowing they would not only be loved and cared for, but they, Maddy and Molly, would be the messengers of love to my sweet Carol.
- It was a Divine setup — one neither of us could see coming.
- The Universe knows best what to do. Let go and let the cosmos do its work.
The Universe is GOOD and always working on our behalf. Although I couldn’t see how it would all work out, the Angels knew.
Rick and I will be able to visit the kitties whenever we are around. We will pay for food and litter so it will not be a financial burden on Carol … all she needs to do is love and enjoy them (OK, and clean their litter box.)
I admit it is a little hard to let them go three months before we are to leave, but that is a minor thing compared to finding the perfect person to love and take care of them.
I am busily getting them prepared for their “trial run” at the end of the week. Getting all the love and kisses I can from these babies, for their new life with one of the most wonderful people on earth.
Carol is a hoot. Last year her great granddaughters dressed her up and she is now known as the “Worlds Oldest Swan Lake Ballerina.” Just one look at her picture, and you will understand why she will become Maddy & Molly’s special Nannie.
Yes, we are all connected. The Universe is always conspiring for the best interest for all, be it Kitty Angels, Earth Angels (or in this case, Swan Lake Ballerinas,) or the humans who love them all.
The moral to the story is, whatever your concern, let it go. Allow the Universe to work its magic and conspire on your behalf – amazing things can happen and problems will be solved – in the way best for all concerned.
