The opposite of adventure is safety. Or in the words of Helen Keller, “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” The opposite of my Gitan Heart is probably that even though I see myself as a gypsy, my comfort level pushes me to stay put in the same familiar surroundings that have been home to me for more than 30 years – western Colorado.
I was terrified when I moved to Colorado, after living almost all my life in a small town in eastern New Mexico. I had rarely lived more than a few blocks from my parents and friends. But marriage to another Gitan Heart took me far away – to the edge of the Rocky Mountains, where I lived for 13 years in a tiny house long before it was fashionable. (Less than 1,000 sq ft, with 3 growing boys and one bathroom.)
We progressed to larger homes and eventually back to smaller ones, and now to a tiny house again – where we belong.
And we aren’t terrified, but it is also terrifying at times to realize that our roots are no longer attached to the western edge of Colorado, where so many of our memories have been made.
We also know that we are forever bound to this place, whether or not our feet are on the ground daily.