Below 32 Degrees on the Inside

            As part of my learning about the limits and needs of life in the trailer I've become obsessive (just a bit though) about the temperature - both inside the trailer and outside.    What I've learned is it's more like camping in a tent than it is living in a house.  I've done both, house living and tent camping, but in each I had a different set of expectations.  In the trailer I wasn't sure what to expect, but so far I haven't had to test the limits of comfort and of safety…until now.

            I'm writing this before I have to face my next fear.  So far it's not been below the 20's on the outside and I've maintained at least low 40's on the inside.  But tomorrow night it's going to drop closer to zero than not - and that is freaking me out just a bit.

            What I've learned so far is that I really should have paid closer attention to improving and maximizing insulation all around, minimizing air leaks, and choosing materials that gave me the most bang for my buck - not just were cheapest and looked pretty!

            I've been able to improvise a bit here on the road, but to do any real improvements would require way more work and money and time and tools than I have or want to do…so, it will be a good test tomorrow night to see just how much cold I can live with - literally.

            In my trailer - with no one else to compare it to - I average about a 10-15 degree difference inside and outside with no contributing factors.  If I face full sun and open all the drapes, the temperature can go as high as 25 degrees or more warmer.  If I run a heater I've been able to get at least a 30 degrees warmer improvement.  In the summer heat if I opened everything to airflow and minimum shading, I could run dead even with inside to outside temperatures.  On nice days - all this is irrelevant.

            But I want to go back to the fear - because that is the more important part, not the perceived facts.  The fear is not really about me, it's about creating harm or suffering to my cat.  She's shorthaired and seems to get cold at about 60 degrees.  I keep telling her to grow more hair, but so far, I don't see it.

            But then underneath that I realized there was another level of fear or sadness or guilt or, well, shame.  I am cold and I am in a shelter.  Outside there are a lot of people and animals that are cold without shelter.  Now that I can feel the cold on my skin and the consequences on my cat's fur - well, it's a lot more real when I see someone living on the street or a dog with no shelter or way to protect itself from the cold.

            Living on the street is not as straightforward as we want to think.  As a social worker I can tell you story after story about why it's not easy to fix.  But these last few years have produced a level of homelessness that is different.  But I don't think it's just about evil banking cartels or narcissistic politicians or under funded social service agencies.

            No, I believe it is deeper and more profound.  I believe it is time to feel the effects of who we have been in this country - indifferent to the welfare of those that are alive.  Our focus on stuff, money, power, fame, status is now reaping the results with the idols we sought being confiscated by the banks that temporarily gave us money to buy them.

            As a society, most of us never really thought about the consequences of consumerism, materialism, greed, and indifference as we glazed over in front of televisions and ate food that contained chemicals and just lost our will to be creative and live a human life connected to the experience of life itself.

            Nothing wakes you up faster to what is valuable in the life experience than to be cold, hungry, alone, and afraid…nothing.

             It is easy to point fingers of judgment with the belief that those who are hungry and cold deserve it for their failure to play the corporate game.  It is easy to turn a blind eye and remain glazed over.  But it is not easy when you are in the middle of the experience you once judged or ignored.  No, it's not easy at all.

            I know how to get out of this situation - but I want to be here because I like the challenge of learning my limits and solving new problems and getting stronger as a human in this world.

            But most - or maybe all - don't know how to change their situation.  They just know they don't want it.  But from this place of pain and suffering is coming desire - desire to be warm, to have good food, to be safe, and to want to live again.

            And desire is the spark that lights the flame of creation in this Universe and World.  Change must happen first at the level of Cause, meaning what you think, want, feel, and desire.  I believe that even though there are many who don't know why these things have happened to them at this level of their ego awareness, their spirit knew exactly what would happen when they chose to come here.

            I believe those we may judge and dismiss as societal failures are really powerful beings who said, "yes, I can do this" and came into this world knowing it might be scary and uncomfortable - but their contribution to us all would be powerful and mighty.

            Now when I see someone who is homeless I say instead "Thank you my brother or sister."  I bless them, see them as powerful spirits, and trust that to them this is no sacrifice but rather their gift to us all as we try and find a new way to live in this world together - to build a new world in which no one wins until everyone wins.

            I'll let you know soon how life is close to zero - but it feels less scary now that I've named the guilt that was my fear.  No, it doesn't feel okay to have anyone suffer and it is still my desire to continue to build a new world in which no one will…but first, we must want a world in which no one suffers and to do that we must look at what we have created and choose again….

Figuring out my Food

            One of the biggest challenges on this adventure has been getting clear on how to eat and not spend too much money, make too much mess, and meet at least some of my nutritional needs! 

            I will say I like the challenge - but I am still in the challenge phase more than the solution phase.  But here are a few things I've learned along the way that I think will also apply if the power goes out, you have to go on the road, or life gets a lot simpler for you like it did for me!

            Food has been a big part of my learning curve, so I am coming at this with a pretty lengthy list of "how to" books - I've done vegetarianism, ancient cooking wisdom, camping tips, and a lot more.  But they all have assumed that there is plenty of supply and space and time and money….not so for me right now!

            One of the biggest things I'm getting is that I can't eat as much variety over the course of a day or two.  But, at the same time I can't cook one dish to serve for the next few days either…what to do?  Food is really one meal at a time, so my solution has been how can I use the ingredients I've got in the most number of ways over the shortest period of time?

            Another thing I'm getting is the whole three meals a day or if you're into the grazing concept - 5-7 meals a day is not happening.  Mostly because I hate doing the dishes that often!  Instead, I've been looking at how can I increase the nutritional density of my meal - or, more calories and nutrition in one sitting.

            So, for example - oatmeal for breakfast has taken on a whole new look, taste, and texture!  While there is not an exact recipe I go by, here's a list of what I'm now adding so I get the most bang for my buck:

• Oats - soaked overnight
• Raisins - boiled in the water before I add the oats

Then, once it's cooked I add:

• Walnuts - Omega's and other good stuff
• Wheat Germ - Vitamin E, fiber, and more
• Cinnamon - good for insulin regulation and taste
• Butter - fats, calories, and texture - and if you splurge on grass fed/organic - good stuff!
• Brown Sugar - because I like the taste okay?

            I've let the idea of adding milk go - though you could add dried milk and more water or just add milk if you have access to it.  But in truth, I don't miss the milk at all.

            I've been eating this a little later in the day - after coffee, getting dressed, checking the internet to see if the world has changed yet, and then a general redistribution of my stuff for the day things I do.  But it works pretty well, keeps me pretty satisfied, and tastes really, really good!

            The butter is the only thing that can really spoil, but it takes a while and if I just focus on food that uses butter, I eat it fast enough to not waste it before it goes bad.  The rule of thumb is 30 days for butter, but I've done a lot longer with no problems.

            It's been a shift because food has also been my comfort, my friend, and baking and cooking a real pleasure for me - the restrictions and changes have been an adjustment.  But part of getting simpler is also letting go of perceived needs - the idea I need to eat at the same time each day, three times a day, and in specific ways. 

            We've been taught that there are a lot of food rules if we want to be happy - but as we go on this particular subject I hope you'll learn as I have that from the place of our spirit, it's just not true…but that is all for another day!

Preparing for the New World - Body, Mind, Heart, and Spirit!

            We are now officially entering the last month of 2011 - can you believe how fast it all went!  Even more shocking is that it is soon going to be 2012.  I remember more than five years ago feeling like I had forever to prepare for what would be coming at the end of this year.  I thought I had a good plan and plenty of time to put it all into place.  Never in a million years did I think then that I would be here living like I am now!

            I also thought I'd be farther along spiritually, more secure financially, and much more collected materially…oh well!  But this morning as I was reading - again - one of the lessons in A Course in Miracles (ACIM) it was clear in pointing out that no matter what does or does not happen in our lives, it is always for our highest good.   That can be a confusing idea when you've got less money, security, and material goods to get by than you ever have had before while we prepare to enter an era of such great uncertainty!

            But the lesson behind the lesson is this - what is good for the spirit doesn't always feel good to the ego!

            I've been thinking about what I am really trying to accomplish with this website and it has felt that while there is a vague sense of clarity, there is nothing that has given me the boundaries and structure to be consistent in what I am doing.  And the same can be said for what is happening out in the world - what are the goals as everything around us changes faster than we can adapt it seems?

            There has been so much emphasis for those who are interested in preparing and surviving the coming changes on being physically and materially prepared.  But very little has been offered about being mentally, emotionally, and spiritually prepared.  I've also noticed those who are preparing spiritually seem very disconnected with what it may all mean physically!  It seems to be two camps that haven't really met…and I think here is the place I can offer the most assistance.

            So, with that said, I think for today (with no guarantees about tomorrow!) I really want to focus on these ideas - how to be prepared at all four levels.  This should come as no surprise as it's has been at the basis of everything I've focused on and researched and desired for my own life and my work as a social worker.  Makes sense don't you think to apply it to this New World big picture idea?

            To keep things more focused, I really want to focus on simplicity, survival skills, and actually applying the spiritual laws I keep talking about.  These three ideas are broad enough to keep this fun, but clear enough to let others know what they can expect to find here on my website.

            Maybe this is new for me and maybe it isn't, but one of my greatest struggles is to stay focused on one topic long enough to actually be successful in implementing the changes I am learning about.  In this moment it feels like a good idea - time than will tell!

            SO!  With that said I will say thank you for stopping by today and I hope you will return as it is my goal to create a more focused approach to the website, articles, blogs, and video's - though their essence will not change - just the filter in which we will share the adventure!