CURRENT MISSION

"Whoever you are, be a good one"

ABOUT ME

I love living! I like to live simply, in or near forests and mountains. I am big-hearted and social. In the past four years I've been connecting with various ancient, wise, and/or spiritual traditions, and yet I find normal everyday life to be more 'holy' than esoteric abstraction. I'm currently enjoying learning about permaculture, including natural building, gardening, forestry, keeping animals, and mushroom cultivation.

PHILOSOPHY

I love to inspire and to be inspired. Open mindedness is key. Giving and receiving respectfully and gracefully is important. I've enjoyed learning when and how to let go and when to hold on. I recognize challenges as blessings as much as possible, and I am very grateful for the opportunities we have as humans.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

By hosting, by surfing, and by talking up the project

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

My first? Two friends and I broke down on the interstate in Lincoln, Nebraska. The CS community there offered SUCH a wealth of generous groovy people who offered up their homes and time. We ended up staying with a retired preacher and his wife and son, and we were invited to (and attended) a great party by another CS'er. Ultimately, we were gifted a pink violin and then a free lunch at the bookstore... a good first experience indeed.

Interests

I love funk music. And trees, rebels, backpacking, snowshoeing, working with kids, potlucks (and making delicious healthy food), patience and grace, my family, the satisfaction from exercise and honest work, backpacking, living conscious of my impacts on the Earth, and meeting new people and places.

I most enjoy backpacking, snowshoeing, potlucks, reading, traveling, and meeting new people.

Music, Movies, and Books

Some favorite authors in no particular order: Herman Hesse, Wendell Berry, Emmerson, Edward Abbey, Tom Robbins, Barbara Kingsolver, Barry Lopez, and possibly hundreds more. I really love several dozen generes of music, especially funky or soulful stuff. I also like folk, bluegrass, classic rock, hip-hop, electronic, rock; lots of challenges these days using genres to categorize music!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Tomatina. Buñol, Spain. The world's greatest tomato war. I participated in 2005, when the incredible event involved seven dump trucks full of tomatoes that were thrown lobbed chucked and tossed by everyone at everyone until the tomato soup rose above our ankles. When the swat forces tried to break it up at the designated end of the event, people wanted to keep tomato fighting, and got pretty vicious moving from throwing tomatoes to hurling knotted up ripped up t-shirts saturated in the tomato juice. No TV camera was spared.

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm all about teaching and learning. I am thinking of becoming a teacher, possibly a bi-lingual teacher (English and Spanish)... I'd like to teach (and therefore learn) more about wilderness adventuring, growing food, building naturally, and healthy inter- and inner-personal relationships. I'd love to continue to learn more about wellness through whole foods and body movement and spiritual practices.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I often serve as a portable bookstore and medicine and gift shop which encourages money-free exchanges. I have lots of stories and perspective that is worth sharing. I'm a real good listener and extremely flexible and tolerant person, and I believe that sharing culture is a good thing.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Italy, Mexico, Mozambique, Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago

Countries I’ve Lived In

Botswana, Guatemala, Spain, United States

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