S8EP9: New Year, New Me, Twenty-twenty Free

Hey, gang! Welcome to my life – where anything is possible and nothing is as it seems. I’m Freedom and I’ll be your host, coming at you from within the depths of New Geistopia.

DOC: Velcum To My Life ees a prochect, un experiment in Life unt ART. A living storyboard, if you will. Its premise ees zat life ees experiential, unt zat you can, unt do, experience ze life you choose. It ees based on Ze Veel of Life unt Ze ARTs for Ze New Millennium as life building tools. Ja, it’s true!

WALT: Welcome to my Life is an I T.V. Studios/Geist…House Players Production, in association with the Center for Creative Inspirationalism. JustUs Productions, the parent company, would like to give a ‘Shout-Out’ to the following for their ongoing, and oft-times unknowing, inspiration and support:

Princess Cuddlebug

Princess Sunshine

Company

The Shaman

The Pillar

F’n Bob

The Entire Putt-Putt-Putter Clan

The Warden

FaeriePrincess

Professor Siggy Chong

Sparky Wentz-eclaus

The VanMan and General Ralph Glossop, and Craze (may they R.I.P.)

The Messengers of The Galactic Federation

Looch

The Bassett Hound

Bert-On

The Baker of the Cornbread

Andy Pandy

The Mudder

Zason

St. Diane & You (3)

Brother John & Sister Jen

Spooky Queen

Boom-Boom Snuffbox

The Nameless One

Tim-Bo

The Cousins

The Rox

PDT

Sir Richard Slouch

The Wix-ians

The Socialite

The Village of Idiots

Piz-Niffer

Dancing Queen

Downtown Encyclopedia Brown

Chicken Witch

Dick Pointer

Soup, the Son

The Legendary Pink Elephants

Baby-Mama Rabbit

Wisconsin Belle

The Babes

Aaaand, of course, a very generous sponsor who (not-so-much) wishes to remain anonymous.

It is…Sunday, January 1, Two-Thousand and Twenty-Free. Time...Elevating

Theme – Right Here, Right Now

This is a repeated Theme in my life because it is one that so easily forgotten. The only moment that matters is this one. Live it. Manage it. Survive it. So much can change from one moment to the next. There are always innumerable variables and factors that we can not even conceive. So, the future doesn’t matter because no matter how under control you have it it can change in the blink of an eye – for better or worse. But the only way to the future is through Right Here, Right Now. Stay focused on the current moment and strive to make it the best that it can be and the rest will handle itself.

Lesson – The Slightest Change Can Make the Greatest Difference

The best way I can tell you to think of this is construction. If at the ‘starting’ end of a 10 foot long wall you find an 1/8” variance – and you do nothing to fix it – by t the end of 10 feet that variance will be much greater. Life is the same way. Sometimes the smallest, seemingly most unimportant, shifts or changes today can have a significant impact down the road. Whether it is changes in routine or habits, changes in environment, even changes in attitude, changes can have a dramatic impact – changing your life right before your eyes [and completely unaware.]

Observation – Your Life Starts and Ends With You

I imagine that this seems fairly obvious. But, not for all of us. And, not for any of us all of the time. We hold others in such high regard – for a variety of reasons – Parents, siblings, other family, friends, bosses, co-workers. The list goes on. We can very easily bend and adjust ourselves for them. We offer them explanations and validations for what we think and do. At the end of the day, the only person you have to give validation to is yourself. Only you understand your choices and why you make them. Only you feel the impact of them. Only you have to live with them. You don’t owe an explanation to anyone but you. [Not even G-d.] Just do you and enjoy it.

The Post

Another year over and a new one just begun.

2022 was a very intense and interesting year for me. I have never really sat and reflected on a year past. I only hope I can do it some justice here.

The truth is, the past four years have been very intense and interesting. Homelessness is not an adventure for everyone. [Thank G-d I’m me.] Over the years, several people have commented that they didn’t know how I was living out of my car. The truth is, up until this year, I never really gave it much thought. It just was what it was and I needed to get myself through it. This year, however, I started to notice that it was draining so much life out of me – more than anything I could ever gain from or make of my circumstances.

Maybe The Nest set that into motion. It had been three years since I was really in a home. [Of course, there was that over-extended stay at Hoagie’s.] The Nest was not only the first time in three years that I had a home base, it was the first time I had space to myself. It was the first time in The Princesses lives that they had space of their own as well.

Of course, The Nest became somewhat bittersweet. It was nice to have it through the winter. Winter is very brutal living out of a car. Don’t get me wrong. I very often gave thanks that I had the vehicles to live in. Many times during my homelessness I thought of others that were homeless who did not have even as much as me. I always had shelter from the weather. Even if it was just a car or van. I always had food. The Universe provided for me on many occasion and in so very many ways.

It's kind of sad how we view the homeless population in the world today. [Or at least in this country.] Unless you have been through it, you have absolutely no clue what those folks do to survive just one day. Truly, I only know because the homeless population is who I would befriend on all my travels. It’s actually a good rule for survival. If you are drifting, the best thing you can do in any town is find the homeless people. They will tell you everything you need to know to survive – where and when you can get food, where you can bed down or hang out, what the town’s policies are. [Every town has it’s own rules and regulations in regard to ‘vagrants.’]

These people are constantly moving about because – in most towns – they are not allowed to be in one place for too long. They are constantly seeking shelter and protection and warmth. They are finding ways to survive that we can’t even imagine. Do you know that in North Platte, Nebraska I learned to dumpster dive. Since that time, I have insisted it is a skill everyone should learn. You never know when you may need it. Like anything else it is not always just so simple – reaching in and pulling out. There is a system, a science, an art to it. If you know how to do it you can eat well.

We look down our noses at these ‘street rats’ when we should be admiring them. They have a strength and fortitude that most of us will never know – because we are just too cozy in our ‘good’ lives.

This is something that came up for me in 2022. Sort of a revisit. Since my very first Quest, I have had a soft spot for homeless people. I wish I could just gather them all up and help them find better lives. They deserve it. So many of them are absolutely amazing people.

Since that first Quest I have wanted to put some sort of rehabilitative program together. I don’t really know what that means. I know how I see it. But I don’t know if it is realistic or practical. However, I now have someone in my life that shares this passion and drive. In 2023 it is time for she and me to take a more active pursuit.

Even with the luxury of home spaces, 2022 challenged me in many ways.

At the beginning of the year, life seemed fairly straightforward. I was doing my Delivery Driving. I was filling in time at The Theatre. That, of course, was meant to be only temporary – through the winter just like The Nest. I was able to see the girls quite frequently, even for some holidays. I was slowly working through The Cave. Everything seemed right. I could even see glimpses of ‘The Future.’

KA-BAM!

Quite literally.

On [I believe] February 17th someone rear ended The Vantasm. It would inevitably be considered totaled. There was panic. Then calm. Then confusion and worry. Still, I tried to take it in stride at first.

For a while I was still able to work. The Vantasm didn’t actually go into the body shop for at least 10 days after the accident. At that point I was able to secure a rental van through the insurance company. They would cover it for 30 days. I also paid out of pocket for another week on top of that. Eventually, though, I would find myself without a vehicle.

Welcome to what I affectionately refer to as The Shutdown.

The Shutdown was intense, to say the least. [And there is plenty of video from that journey.] The Shutdown was exactly what I as trying to avoid in my panic. I didn’t want to be without a vehicle. I didn’t want to stop working. Yet, both of those would come to pass.

I still tried to take it all in stride. “Everything happens for a reason,” I would remind myself. But, The Shutdown would continue on much longer than I could have ever anticipated. I was supposed to be out of The Nest by the end of April, but I did not have a vehicle until mid-June. That meant I also had no home. So, at The Nest I stayed. As well as at The Theatre.

As always, I tried to make the most of it all. I just kept trying to the best I could with my circumstances. The Shutdown became a time of self-re-discovery. I worked with my spiritual stuff. I crafted and painted. I searched my soul. Somehow, through all of that I determined not only what I wanted for my life, but what I didn’t.

I don’t want to drone on about a year that has already been captured in writing. But, I do want to share but one story from The Shutdown.

As Easter approached and I found myself still without a vehicle, the reality set in that I would not be able to see The Princesses as I had hoped. I tried to hang on in Faith that something would change – that somehow it would happen. But, as the days passed by quickly and Easter drew ever closer, there was no sign of anything giving way.

Finally, one day I broke. I had a complete breakdown. Screaming, crying, having a complete tantrum. I don’t think it was entirely over The Princesses. I think that moment just allowed me to release and vent the frustrations I had been feeling all along. I just let loose on G-d. [And there is video of it happening.]

Moments later, I would receive a message from Brother John telling me that if I wanted to see The Princesses for Easter that I could borrow his car for the weekend. He would later tell me that he was actually going to message me the following day but he had the thought a few times that day to go ahead and message me.

This is big to me. This tells me that Spirit was already on top of it. Spirit was on top of it even before I had my fit. [The Father Knows What You Need Before You Need It.] If I could have kept my shit together for just 24 more hours, the problem would have been solved and life could have gone on as if there was never a problem in the first place.

This was a big Lesson and one that I would carry through my year.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Don’t Panic.

[42.]

Anyway, I would leave The Nest and head back into my new vehicle, my new home – The Lil Red Rocket. [Yup. That’s it’s official name.] Summertime always seems to be a bit of an adventure for me and The Princesses. This year, we had two weeks of house sitting and a three day Getaway to the beach.

My plan was to return from The Getaway all refreshed and recharged, ready to take the world by storm. I knew my potential for earnings. I knew what I had to do. It was all quite simple really. Only...it wasn’t.

I came back and had a terrible three weeks. I just could not seem to pull my shit together.

By the end of August, I was in search of a new overnight parking spot. I had overused mine and was seeing a more frequent police presence. Brother John had moved but not yet sold his old house. So, I asked if I could park there. Not only did he allow me to park but I was to use the house.

I have been here ever since and now it is going to be my home. This is another thing that was set into motion long before it actually happened. One could trace it all the way back to two years ago when I first met the house. But, more recently, while I was at The Nest, I know I commented – in a post or on a video not yet shared – that I felt like a home was in my future. It just seemed like life was preparing me for just this. In fact, I had finally come to the realization that perhaps I was seeing it wrong all this time.

For so very long, I believed there was a home for me somewhere but that I was not ready for it. I felt like I had so much more to do to earn and deserve a home. Then one day a thought crossed my mind. Perhaps it was not the home that was waiting on me, but instead I was waiting on the home to be ready for me – to be available.

2022 challenged my Faith many times over and in some ways I would rather not think about. But, it also strengthened it. It took Belief and transformed into more of a Knowing. It gave me a conviction of Self. I have struggled and suffered for a very long time. Still, through all of that I held onto Faith and my beliefs of The Universe and The Spirit within it. I lost much along the way. [Two lifetimes I lost. But who’s counting?]

I lost much but I never once did without. I was very blessed. Even when I didn’t want to be. Right here, right now, being in this home is the greatest blessing yet. It was quite the incredible path to get here and one that was very obviously driven by Spirit all along.

So, what does this mean for 2023? I don’t really know. I only know that it needs to be different. I need to be different. It ain’t no joke. It’s as real as real can be. There is a power in The Universe, a Spirit, that is greater than all of us and it will either bring us life or take us to death.

The choice is always ours. We make it every day in everything we do and say.

I am going to strive to keep putting better into The World and I am going to do it simply by being me.

Here is what I do know of 2023. [Or, at least, what I think I know.]

Obviously, there is the house – New Geistopia. This is going to be an incredible adventure. One would have thought that getting to a home would have been the end of our story, Fellow Travelers, but I am certain it is only the beginning.

I am going to continue my Delivery Driving. I am also going to work towards expanding back into some of my other areas of work like the ministry and retail merchandising. Eventually, I will even get back to crafting.

There is a lot on the table for WTML. I have oodles of video to edit and a couple of newer projects I dare not mention yet.

I am going to continue to strengthen my relationship with Spirit.

And, I am going to help my daughters start living the lives they were always meant to. [Because now I can.]

Watch out world, here I come. It is twenty-twenty free and I gotta be me.

If you’re not already there, go to the Welcome to my Life Facebook page – WTML. Or the YouTube channel – WelcomeToMyLife08. You can also find me on Facebook under Rev. Matt.

Wherever you are and whenever you are – Like, Comment, and Share – we’re on a Journey and it takes you to get there.

So, without hesitation, for now and for always, from here in Geistopia, this is your beloved Rev…

WALT: And Walt…

DOC: Unt Doc…

JOHNNY: Aaaaand Johnny…

And those guys, saying, “Stay Tuned-In, Fellow Travelers,” and wishing you Peace, Love, Light…

WALT: And Freakishness, Baby.

The Totems & Archetypes

**from Ted Andrews’ Animal Speak**

**No Totems this week**