Last week, I received an invitation for a pet sit in a nearby town in Portugal.
My listing on TrustedHousesitters.com has over 35 five-star reviews from sits in multiple countries, and when someone searches for a pet sitter based in Portugal, I’m at the top of the list.
This particular invitation would have me staying in a luxury village, mostly owned by ex-pats, with its own restaurants, grocery, and gym. I’d be caring for an adorable Havanese dog called Ragnar.
The question is, why would I say yes?
Sure, the pet sit is in a beautiful location with luxurious accommodations, but it’s a 45 minute walk from my apartment which is much closer to the beach. There’s no money involved in the TrustedHousesitter barter arrangement, so why would I do this?
When I signed up for TrustedHousesitters, I was leaving my marriage and life in New York. I had no idea where I wanted to live, and it seemed ridiculous to stay where I was just because I was born there.
Prior to this, I’d never been outside the North American continent, and had never traveled solo.
Traveling would let me see the world and discover for myself where I wanted to live, and my love for animals made pet sitting an easy yes.
But now?
Seven years later, I live a four minute walk from the beach in Portugal, and while my accommodations are simple, they’re sufficient. (Except for lacking the space for a pole or a working oven, but I digress.)
What’s the point of travel now?
Every so often I notice a restlessness, an itch to travel. Not to anywhere in particular, just somewhere different.
I’m craving something new. Simply being in different surroundings messes with my routine, unsettles my patterns, and gives me the opportunity to rediscover myself in unfamiliar surroundings.
I notice the urgency in this constant search for newness.
What do I think I’ll find in travel that I can’t find right here?
My mind quiets, contemplating the question. Yes, everything I’m looking for is right here.
And how did I respond to this particular pet sit, only a few miles away, with the whiff of human drama to it?
I said yes, for reasons I can’t explain. It just feels right.
Pondering questions about what you truly desire in life, and noticing the choices you’ve made based on someone else’s rules, is central to our explorations in the REFLECT program. You get to design the life you want to live, and get paid to be yourself.
In CREATE, each of us will choose a specific new offering to create and launch to the community.
Both of these programs are included as self-guided experiences with the IMPACT membership.
What you’re looking for is right where you are. When you know this, you can play full out in the most marvelous adventures in creation of your choosing.
https://www.theawakenedbusiness.com/impactinvite
Yours in love and play,
Steph
