Adytum — Nicole Sallak Anderson

“Sometimes, the fastest way to get there is to go slow. And sometimes, if you wanna hold on, you’ve got to let go. I’m gonna close my eyes, and count to ten. I’m gonna close my eyes, and when I open them again, everything will make sense to me then.” ~ Tina Dico, “Count to Ten”

Every time I visit the property, I’m overwhelmed by the amount of work ahead of us to create a home on the land where we’d laid our weary heads to rest just eleven months ago. The effort and infrastructure it takes to prepare for the tiny home delivery; the trenching and cutting into the land, the filling of those trenches with pipes and conduit, and dealing with the different contractors needed. The planting of privacy bushes, privacy fences, dealing with the dead left on the ground by PG&E, dealing with PG&E to turn the electricity back on, dealing with them to make sure they don’t slaughter the few living trees we have left as they finally get around to installing the powerlines that burned down a year ago.

That’s just the emotional work. Then there’s the standing dead, the garbage and debris still here-shards and wires that cut you when you least expect it-the acre of bare soil, Earth’s skin in need of cover crops and mulch. It’s endless and ironic, since the goal is to create a sanctuary for both wildlife and humans, a place of peace, beauty, and magic. The end goal is alive and well…