The Search for Community: Bend, Everett, Whidbey Island

Life in Vardo for Two on the Ledge in Tahuya was our first experience with the give-and-take of relationship with people who were sharing their land and their lifestyle with us. Shared living of any variation takes time and commitment. We were asking old friends, who knew me back in the day when I was not EI environmentally ill to change their habits and practices using chemicals, products and fragrances of a contemporary family. We were new at this and had so much to learn. Our friends made concessions and modifications to their lives: sharing their bathrooms, changing some of their household products to fragrance free, and allowing us to camp on their land. In exchange, Pete cleared the area were we parked, and helped with construction and fix-'ems on their home. I was raw with understanding how to deal with an adrenal-taxed, very stressed body, and the emotional ups and downs that come with the process. Learning to communicate my needs in ways that said what I meant, and meant what I said when it was true for me without totally alienating?  That continues to be the greatest gift MCS or EI has given me: no way to back away from what I must do, even or especially when I thought I couldn't do it. That challenge has been a long-time challenge, one that simply would no longer be swallowed or denied without putting up a huge fess. My thyroid gland was the first to ke kuhikuhi point out loudly "Nana keia!!" "Look here!!" There was a legacy of denial and swallowed voice to heal. 

Link here for a post about the thyroid "The Butterfly Gland" written on Vardo for Two in December, 2008.

We are very grateful to our friends for their willingness to be our first encampment. There were rough edges to the process, and we pray time and forgiveness heals any lingering wounds. We hitched up Bernadette, the Dodge, in September, 2009 and the journey to find community continued.

Hover over the images for a description of what you're looking at.

Link here to a post on Makua o'o "Inheritance Tax, Responsibility, Kuleana ..."

The photographs below show the evolving nature of our life in the woods of South Whidbey Island 

2010-2017. We have shared land with another couple, two women who have become like family. With a nest for rest and recovery on a regular basis getting to know our neighbors, and letting our neighbors who who we are we have built a community. 

The winter of 2016 stretches into the new year, and it has been 'the harshest one yet.' To journey through the winter I began writing the latest of my medicine stories "Banana Skin and Ginger." It is like all the other medicine stories, a mythic memoir that bridges or laces up like a shoe lace the mythic with the everyday (mundane) and gives us a broader view of life. The story has served Pete and me as compass and surfboard giving us direction and a papa to pause and rest as we navigate new territory. Link here to read the story from its beginning.

The short video above is that of ka hula limu i ka Muliwai, a limu's hula at the Muliwai of Sunlight Beach. The imagery and the metaphor of seaweed gathering at the water's edge has such powerful messages for us. Powerfully the ocean brings the solidity and nourishing ocean's food to the shore. It is temporary, within the tidal cycle the gathered nourishment will breakup. `Aole ka 'ai limu gone the eatable limu. It's important to maka ala be alert to the opportunities. We were blessed with observing the bounty. Gave thanks, and recognize the gift. Mahalo na Akua.

What will unfold from this point forward? We are not entirely sure. The medicine story Banana Skin and Ginger has clues for us. Without crushing or pushing the plot, we leave plenty of room for surprises and adjustments while heading our surfboard to the shore home.For Part II of Vardo for Two, stay tuned.