In 20 words or less
I'm an introverted woman of a certain age who sold my house in 2010, got rid of my stuff, and went rootless.
What does rootless mean?
For some, the word "rootless" has a negative connotation.
For me, it acknowledges that I don't seem to have the ability to make an emotional commitment to a physical place. Yet.
I always want to see what's "out there." Hence, the other dimension of rootlessness.
Maybe I'll want to become rooted when I'm older. Don't know.
About me, as in the personal me
Peter Drucker wrote one of the best autobiographies I've ever read. He titled it Adventures of a Bystander.
I like that title. I see Living Rootless as a chronicle of my adventures as a bystander, where the focus is more on what's around me than on me or my opinions. Maybe that last is just a fiction I tell myself.
Where does the name Mzuri come from?
Mzuri means fine or good in Swahili. It's also a homonym for Missouri. Like the river, flowing.
Direct links to the beginnings of various chapters in rootlessness:
- Going rootless: Getting rid of stuff, becoming portable
- Getting my CELTA in Playa del Carmen, Mexico
- My solo trip to Ethiopia
- Living in Caucasus Georgia
- Vacation in Dubai
- A few weeks hiding out in Istanbul
- Living in New Mexico
- Living in South Louisiana
- A month in Antigua, Guatemala
- A month(ish) in Colorado
- Toronto
Taking a Budget Road Trip includes links to road trips I've taken.
Where am I now?
Back in the Central Time Zone after hot forays into Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona.
20 comments:
Enjoying your Blog
Great blog, eyeballing a trip to Africa solo myself (sic?)...
Thank you! Solo trip to Africa - do it! Will be fun, and if not fun, then memorable. Win-win.
:)
I am very glad that your travels brought you to Fort Sumner. Hope you enjoyed your day with us when we had our special Friends from Santa Fe here. Take care.
Amanda
Amanda! It was such a pleasure to meet you on that great day at the site - and you set it all into motion with your warm smile and gracious suggestion that I join the group for the tour in progress. I'm looking forward to writing about that enrichening experience very soon.
I lived in Alamogordo for a couple of years, very unusual town.
Unusual in a good way, I presume! Some of reasons I loved Alamogordo: It must be one of the few places on the planet where you can see a ribbon of vast, white gypsum fields from the city; a place where you can go from high desert to higher montane in about 15 minutes, and where you get two sunrises and two sunsets every day because you're sandwiched between two mountain ranges. And where the nearby mountains literally disappear when the dust or mist comes through.
I ordered the book "Adventures of a Bystander" about a month ago and when it did not arrive after a few weeks, I sent the Amazon seller a note. No response, so last week, I applied for a refund which was promptly done. Yesterday, it arrived. Go figure! Looking forward to reading at least a bit of it. My "To Do" reading list is getting a bit out of hand. Part of why I like Audible so much.
I happened upon your blog by accident. Makes me think of Thoreau on wheels. Interesting choice of venues for rootlessness, and very Thoreauvian discussion of the logistics of going rootless. You've noted much that's notable here in St. Landry and Lafayette, with fine, spare prose and good photography.
Thank you for your thoughtful comments; feels good to read them! And I'll sure miss South Louisiana when I move on.
I salute you. If you ever get to Los Angeles and want to talk about your experiences, please contact the Adventurers Club, 1st VP through www.adventurersclub.org
Steve Bein, Past president.
Thank you! Gosh, your invitation has opened the door to so many colorful daydreams of what that experience might be like. Thank you for that gift!
Excellent. Wonderful Photographs. Concise descriptions. I went through all your stuff on New Mexico. What a change it must be to go from tiny Columbus to El Paso (which I think has a pop. of a million).
Greetings, Retiring Soon! So pleased to hear from you and am glad you enjoyed my writing and photos! I didn't live in Columbus; I just visited there. My base in New Mexico was Alamogordo, which was a good choice for me. ... Are you looking around for a place to retire to?
Is it possible to get permission to use some of your photos of Tularosa in an upcoming book about Tularosa? This is planned to be published by the Tularosa Basin Historical Society later this year. Contact me at fwebb02@msn.com
Hello - I will contact you!
Loved the highway video, mon amie. Reminds me of me own homeland in Southern Illinois (the Land Between the Rivers between Cape Girardeau, Missouri and Paducah, Kentucky).
My Father owned a roadhouse and I grew up dreaming adventures along US Highway 51.
I write a column for Les Amis de Mrigny, New Orleans; also hosted by Google' Blogger (ugly anti words word, I think).
My Father worked hauling brick to build Highway 51, then grew up and built a Life along side it.
I wrote an homage to him in the opening of last August's column, LEJ's Louisiana, YOU MUST REMEMBER THIS, August 2018. A word of caution the column opens with a NEW YORK DAILY NEWS cartoon, and a 1954 quote from Dwight D. Eisenhower that criticizes Donald Trump. Please do not take offense if you happen to be a true believer Republican. I'm certain from your camera and pen that you are nonetheless a good woman. ~ LEJ.org
Thank you for visiting, LEJ! Growing up, so to speak, in a roadhouse - a place to hear and weave dreams, there! Enjoyed reading your memory of your dad and how his party differed from today's party. Thank you!
I just found your entry on Antelope Wells, NM and loved it. I banged around rootless out in the desert there for a while in 1975. It doesn't look very much different all those years later. Thank you; I'll be reading some of your other entries.
-Charlie
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