Retirement was a spontaneous decision made while sitting at my desk in my office end of day on a Friday. I’d been a nurse, certified in dual specialties, (labor and delivery and trauma care), for 29 years. I had experienced, been in situations and seen what most never could imagine no matter how many books and original movie series they’ve watched. Nursing had been my passion, my childhood dream and I had given it my body and soul willingly. I was the one, type A, extra shifts, volunteered, always going. I was proud of all my achievements, certifications, titles, positions and that I had once worked 45 straight 12 hour night shifts and two full time contracts at the same time. That day in my office. I was done. It was over. Nothing unusual happened other than I had reached the point where I just couldn’t anymore. I had reached the end. My inner voice spoke loudly, “How much longer are you going to wait?”
Picking up my personal items, I walked out the door into the warm bright sunshine without leaving a note or saying a word to anyone. At home my family asked what I was going to do. Anthony Bourdain was on the television, “I’m not sure. I hear his position is open”. They offered to take me for a mental health evaluation.
That weekend I withdrew all my cash, changed my phone number, packed my truck with whatever I didn’t donate and literally drove west into the sunset. I had no idea where I was going and what I was going to do next. I had 13 thousand dollars cash in the console of my truck. I’d figure it out.
In the weeks that followed, I traveled the entire coastline of the state of Florida, stopping at places I had never seen the entire 33 years I’d lived there. Between the coastal waterways and historical towns, I put in about a thousand miles. A gym membership provided a place to shower and cool off from the Florida heat. At cafes, rest stops, under the canopy of trees, I read over a hundred books the first month. All books I had been saving to read “someday “.
Mostly, I did nothing.
Two months later, still wandering, my youngest daughter, a registered veterinary nurse, suggested home and pet sitting. Something she had been doing for several years locally and internationally.
“I’m too old. No one is going to want me.” I quipped thinking her suggestion ridiculous.
“you are exactly what pet owners are looking for… give it a try…” emailed me information and I took the leap.
Within a week I had my first sit in a beautiful waterfront home with two gorgeous cats just 90” away. Before that 3 week sit was over I had a series of sits scheduled from Florida to Kentucky into October. It was only June. By the time November rolled around I had a one way ticket and a full calendar of sits in the United Kingdom. I had become a full time nomadic home and pet sitter. About 18 months and 9 countries later, I returned “home” only to see the family, sell the truck and my stethoscope. The house had already been sold. In the process, I found documents I had not seen in ten years. Investment accounts I had completely forgotten about. After a few calls and weeks, I paid off all my debt and helped my son buy his first home. A few months later, I was audited, not once but twice. My tax debt was $25K. That’s a lot when you’re retired. With no mortgage or rent, no other debt, I recovered thanks to home and pet sitting.
In Spring of 2020, I had been in Bali for two months scheduled to go to Australia for 2 sits over four months when the embassy notified me that it was closing time, a sort of last call to leave. Due to the pandemic, they informed me that I had to decide if I could manage to live there indefinitely. They informed me that evacuation assistance would not be available. Begrudgingly, I returned to Florida. 11 months later, I hit the roads and airways again. Waiting for weekends to play grandma and being part of the homeowner’s association just didn’t fuel me properly.
Several of the people I have met while sitting have become very dear friends. Of those, one couple with 5 cats and I spoke to briefly and confirmed a short last minute weekend sit. I was actually at a meditation retreat and drove overnight to get there before their departure. They had a senior cat who required subcutaneous fluid boluses via injection like an intravenous drip. I was a master when it came to humans but animals? The owner sat with me, talked me through it and next morning done with a big silly grin. The next time I sat for them they now had two big dogs they had found tied together to a fence on the side of the motorway. Morena and Caju are my most beloved dogs. I have sat for them several times a year anywhere from a few weeks to two months at a time, in three homes and two countries. In calculating, I have completed over a hundred sits, approximately 250 cats, 15 dogs, 6 rabbits, 50 chickens, 30 ducks, countless birds, and 15 sheep. What I don’t know, I learn. I have great teachers.
My “Extended families” as I call them, are fascinating remarkable people of various professions, backgrounds and lifestyles. Farmers, retired folks, undercover criminal investigators, nurses, doctors, single women, athletes, research scientists, professors, all with fascinating stories and a willingness to share them. All warm, welcoming, kind, and generous in every sense. They’ve taken me on long trips deep into the heart of the country, whichever one I’m in. Places void of everything except for profound silence filled my soul. I have enjoyed fancy dinners, the royal ballet in London, hot meals made with vegetables harvested from the garden. I’ve been taken on hikes through public lands in Wales, and the highlands of Scotland. My hands and boots muddy harvesting wild garlic and planting vegetables in rural homesteads. I have never felt alone, quite the contrary and certainly never bored. Each encounter is a unique experience and it is always a privilege and honor to be welcomed and received in such a way and never boring. That being said, those first few years I did feel alone in the sense that I felt different. Not everyone understood why and how I could “throw my life away”. Many moments I questioned my own sanity. Until I met another sitter and realized that there were others like me. Other crazy, adventurous, fun, happy people.
We had always had dogs at home, even though I was allergic, never cats because my family was allergic. Of note, I am no longer allergic to dogs and I adore cats. The animals taught me to relax, to slow down and be at peace. There was no longer any need to run to an emergency. I discovered great satisfaction in doing what some might consider nothing. Taking care of the animals is rewarding and meaningful “work”. I have learned to care for a variety of animals and fowl. Each animal also with its own unique personality. It’s exciting, comforting, peaceful and fun. I am in love with my new “career”. There are times I feel I slipped into another world. In many ways I have. The animals are the link, the secret bridge, that brings it all together beautifully.
At the moment I am one paper away from a PhD and all I want to do is plan the next trip in this magical dream life literally filled with kittens, puppies, chickens, ducks, rabbits and yes even sheep! There is now new purpose and my existence still has meaning.
The best part, I am still going, doing, seeing, experiencing what most never have dared to imagine. Often I am invited to return, for a sit or just a visit. There is a connection that happens, a feeling that happens almost instantly even on first contact with new people. When that happens my heart expands and I just know that’s the one. I feel a fullness, a joy in my heart and I trust it.
When we find ourselves at the end of what is familiar it’s scary. It’s at that edge we have to decide what the next step will be. The new and unknown seem strange and scary until we become familiar. Sometimes we are forced to move if we linger too long. That can be painful when we have not emotionally prepared for this transition. Yes there is great chaos during that period. Eventually we get into a rhythm and things begin to come to order. Then it feels normal and all is how it should be. Even if it’s not to others it’s right for you. That is peaceful, joyful and fulfilling when the decision comes from your heart. The heart tells us what is right for us and when we listen, we tune into the harmony of our own life. What others think and feel we should be doing according to our age, history, traditions and cultures are their expectations of us and completely irrelevant. We as individuals adapt by accepting that nothing is permanent and somehow we get through and things naturally align themselves in a manner that is right for us. We are all explorers, researchers conducting experiments making adjustments till we find the perfect formula.
In my travels I have had challenges of all kinds.
It was in those moments I learned what true kindness from strangers is and that I was able to do more than I thought I could.
When I arrive at my destination, unconditional love waits to greet me, as it should be because there is always more. More passion, more joy, more people, more plants and more animals to love.