My next stop was Maine. I wasn’t sure what we would be doing with Permatours there, but that’s where I was headed. I left later in the day than I had intended to, and with the eight hour trip ahead, I knew I wouldn’t make it before nightfall. I hoped I would find a place to land somewhere safe for the night. Especially since the front of my car had started making weird hissing noises.
When it got close to midnight, I was driving through New Hampshire and knew my body needed sleep, but the road seemed never ending. I tried to look up places to stop, even just a parking lot, but I had no cell service. The only thing I had was GPS. I looked at the picture of the map around me and noticed a large pond nearby.
I knew from past experience that sometimes there were boat launches that had little hideaways that made good places for a tent. I drove down to the water hoping for the best. Driving along, the road opened up to a large dirt parking lot surrounded by woods on the side of the water. I was able to find the perfect spot in the woods to pitch my tent, and this place even had a bathroom! I slept safely through the night and woke early the next morning to the sound of many different voices outside my tent. People were coming to use the water, but left me alone.
Eventually I got up and went for a dip in the surprisingly warm water. I ended up chatting with the man who worked there. He was also from New York and was very kind. He gave me coffee and some other treats before I hit the road again. I found out the Permatours was in Unity, Maine. There was an event for the farmers that had pizza, music, and dancing. Our job was to cook brick oven pizzas. I was running late to the event because I’d had trouble getting my car started, but I arrived just in time as they were beginning to prepare and serve the pizzas.
There was a man named Rusty who led us. He had a trailer that hauled a brick oven that he brought for the event. I enjoyed making the pizzas and even got some time after to dance and enjoy a glass of wine.
At the end of the night I found out the next stop was Lynsey’s house. I had never met Lynsey, but she was my age and owned the beautiful Nomad Retreat Center. She taught yoga and often held events there. When events weren’t being held, she rented the place as a bed and breakfast. By the time I arrived it was late, but the multiple other people there were still awake. One of them was Vanessa, whom I had met at a 4th of July party I had gone to in Ithaca, NY. I was so glad she was there because at the time I had felt a connection and had wanted to get to know her better. After chatting with everyone for a while I pitched my tent in the yard and was off to bed. The next morning everyone gathered to do restorative yoga led by Lynsey. She had a beautiful yoga studio attached to the side of her house. The energy of the room alone was beautiful; just being in there made me feel at peace. I often do yoga, but this was my first time doing restorative yoga. It's a slower paced, restful yoga using props and tools. It focuses on feeling good and restoring your body. It was one of my favorite yoga sessions ever, and was just what I needed to help my tired body wake up. After yoga the group planned on doing a mushroom walk. Most of us put sun hats on for the walk, joking around that we were all in a hat club. I didn’t have one, so I borrowed one from a beautiful soul named Michelle. We walked down a long path that was surrounded by forest on each side. We found so many different mushrooms and there was magic all around. Michelle decided her hat belonged to me, along with one of her shirts!
After our mushroom walk, the trail opened up to a field where booths were set up with people selling different things such as candles, teas, pins and jewelry. I hung out in that field area for a while; it was beautiful up there. I got to spend more time with my friend, Vanessa, as we played with energy and did reiki and body work. Afterwards we spent some time in one of the booths using tarot cards and body glitter they had laid out. Back at the house I spent a lot of time in the yoga room. It was an amazing day filled with love, giggles and joy. The night was set off with some aerial yoga and deep chats. The next day I woke early to hit the road, but as I was leaving I noticed my car was driving even worse. It seemed like everything that could go wrong with it was. It pulled, made a funny noice in the front, had trouble starting and the brake light was on. My hope was to drive it to Portland, Maine for a mechanic to check it out. Unfortunately I lost all brake pressure on the way. Luckily for me, my parents had given me the gift of an AAA Plus membership before I left town. I was able to call a tow truck driver and got my car safely towed to the shop.
The tow truck driver was a very kind man. He wrote down places in Portland for me to explore and gave me his number and said I could call him if I needed a ride. I explained to the mechanic that I was living out of my car and needed it by the end of the day for a safe space to sleep. He said he would do his best. I set out walking through Portland as my car was being fixed, hoping to make it to the ocean. It wasn’t long before I realized that I was not walking towards the ocean at all, and I was lost. I ended up calling Vanessa, who had offered help earlier in the day. She came in like an angel and took me to Old Orchard Beach. We ran into the ocean, diving into the cold water. We both used the water to release all the negative energy that wasn't serving us. I could feel the worry melt away as I floated on my back amongst the waves with the sun beaming down on my face.
We spent some time on the beach talking about love, life, and relationships. Afterwards Vanessa and I went to a restaurant that was at the end of a boardwalk. We sat at an outside table that overlooked the ocean. What had started as a terrible day ended up being amazing. Shortly after dinner I got a call from the mechanic telling me my brakes were done. It was the only thing he would be able to fix today, and I needed my car, so I decided that it would have to be good for the time being. I trusted that my car and the universe would get me safely where I needed to go until I could get the rest fixed (which made a lot of people worry—sorry about that). I got in my car and headed on my way, although I didn’t know where I was going because Permatours didn’t have another event for a while. I drove around trying to find somewhere to pitch my tent, or even a cheap motel. I was too exhausted to sleep in my car. I had no luck, and was feeling lost and adrift. Negativity began to creep in and I started losing hope. Then I remembered that Vanessa had told me Lynsey had said I could go there if I needed. I didn’t know Lynsey well, and I hated asking for help, but I had learned that part of growing was taking help when needed instead of suffering alone. I was able to get her number and when I called her, she welcomed me with open arms. Upon arrival I made some tea and she showed me to a room of my very own where I would have an actual bed. She went off to bed giving me full access to the house and the yoga room.
I spent a lot of time in that room reflecting and meditating. I thought about how lucky I was to have these two women who helped me that day. I hadn’t known either of them long, but they opened their hearts to me, and I am so grateful. The next day when I woke up I was able to shower—a true luxury when you’re on the road! I had breakfast and tea and spent a long time talking with Lynsey. We each talked about our lives, and about my current difficulties. Lindsay told me I could stay there until Sunday (it was Tuesday at the time) and she also found me some work on a marijuana farm to make quick money. This was such a relief, especially with all the new found car issues. As I started to feel better and trust the process, more things kept getting better and falling into place. This life that I’m living is such a beautiful thing.
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