A Beautiful Life
Sometimes your plans just don't quite work out.
Despite having all your ducks in a row, despite planning ahead as best as you could, things still go sideways, unexpected snafus pop up. I like to control my situation. I like to plan as much as I can ahead of time so that I don't have snafus popping up, but there's not much you can do to avoid problems popping up when you least expect.
For someone who likes controlling a situation, I sure do pick odd vehicles to get me where I want to go, quite literally. My 1972 Winnebago Brave might not seem like the most reliable vehicle to most people. On my first Brave trip (in my '73 Brave, back in 2010) my very first day found me stranded on the side of the road, 300 miles from home in the middle of nowhere, Alaska. Oddly enough, that was the only vehicle trouble I had on that entire 11,000 mile journey. Yesterday, on my first day out on this trip, before even making it a mile from home, I discovered a flat tire that set us back 3 hours. And then I had to get new propane tanks because mine were too old to fill. And a new house battery to power the lights in the Brave. And then today upon testing our water system, all the faucets needed new plumbing. I'd be lying if I wasn't stressed out. I coined the term "Strungry" today because I wasn't Hangry, I was just stressed and hungry and maybe actually extra stressed because I was hungry? I digress.
Things didn't go according to plan. But, like the seeminly undetangle-able knot of necklaces in your luggage after a trip, we eventually fixed each problem and will be back on the road tomorrow.
I'm always impressed with how, even when things don't go the way I think they should go, they still work out. Instead of throwing hands in the air or curling into a fetal position, you just have to start slowly detangling each necklace. It can be tedious, frustrating work at time. Sometimes you cut the pipe that works instead of the broken pipe and have to patch a perfectly good pipe. Someone did that today and her name definitely doesn't rhyme with Miz Borrow. Nope. Keep detangling. One necklace free, alright, keep detangling.
Life is a beautiful mess. And I don't believe life as a beautiful mess means making our messes look pretty. It means looking at the mess around us and recognizing the beauty in what it is. Curated "messes" aren't authentic, though they can be inspiring, but ultimately I think they can make us feel inadequate.
I cannot wait to meet our gorgeous Wildbrides today! We still have space at the next retreat, Feb 12-14th in Monte Rio, CA just a short drive from San Francisco. If you want to give a "fuck yeah" to your wild messy spirit with a wilderness photo shoot and a weekend with no obligation to be anyone but your messy, beautiful self, we would be so honored to have you join us. Our first retreat is sold out, and space is limited in the remaining retreats so don't wait too long if you want to commit coming into the Wildbride family.
The mess is part of the beauty. The problems are part of this beautiful life. Today our first Wildbride Retreat starts. For me, Wildbride feels like part of this celebration of messy, wild, tangly existence we lead as women. It isn't about poses with your booty popped out at just the right angle to give you dat ass. It isn't about nipping and tucking with photoshop, or getting that perfect Tyra Banks smize. It's embracing the mess, and discovering the crazy beauty that lies within that space. It's sacred.
