Even more than usual here, I don’t know what to say in a check-in. My life lately has been rich and complex, and any paragraph in this email I could expand into a tome. I will stick to the four news items, of which three are big.
On the road again!
I am moving to New Mexico! Reasons are that I have to move (see below), it’s very similar climate as here in Wyoming, and I found a community I like. They have 5 acres about 45 minutes East of Albuquerque, in the mountains.
By strange coincidence, there is another community, a well-known alternative Christian movement headquartered in Albuquerque (of all places): Richard Rohr and The Center for Action and Contemplation, which is rocking my world. New Mexico is a special place, and in more ways than one. Richard Rohr calls it “the inside edge of the American Empire”. A kind of power-spot. Close enough to the edge to be relevant (as in, change from the inside), but not slavish.
I am taking the opportunity to do a 5,500 mile road trip. I just got out of a truly epic 5 day canoe-camping with friends in Minnesota Boundary Waters (think mile-long portages, hail and freezing rain, punctuated by brilliant conversations and connections); then to Philadelphia, Asheville where I will empty my storage, then Austin TX, Albuquerque and back to Laramie to pick-up the RV. Ping me if I am on your route and you want to say hi. I will reach out as well, I have just been somewhat frantic with the move.
I got asked to leave the Wyoming commune
The Wyoming commune asked me to leave. This is, once again, complex and I am certainly not blameless. I was accused of gay- and trans-phobia and hetero-normativity and put on trial. I plead guilty to hetero-normativity, but for the rest… oye. From my perspective this is absurd, I am something of a “sexual deviant” and hence anyone in alternative sexuality I am natural allies with. They are correct, however, that I am not a fit for a radical-queer political commune. I am supportive of gay and trans, but ignorant. It’s not my life, and my politics are also divergent. I actually believe now (big “aha”) that I landed in a left-wing political cult. Took me a year to figure this one out.
It’s been rather weird here for the last month, and yet I can’t be angry (at least not in my sane moments). I have had the most extraordinary year of my life. I was a fucking mess when I arrived here in the spring of 2021, and they still took me in. They hosted me in what has turned out to be an extremely successful lifestyle experiment (I love my “little house on the prairie”, soon to be “little house in the mountains”). They (indirectly) sourced my new book, which is partly about cult psychology.
Those radical-queer, anarchists and communists gave me my life. I wish them the best.
Most exciting news of all: I have a new book which is flowing very nicely
The new book is provisionally-titled Practical Relational Leadership through Authentic Relating: Change yourself, change the world, and have a boatload of fun doing it.
I have about 10,000 words done (out of maybe 40 to 50,000 – its not a long book, I don’t like long books). You can get a taste of it, if you like, by reading the first two chapters:
- Introduction: How I finally got a life (after 40 years of trying), and some key conceptual takeaways
- Chapter 1: An NVC Primer: Learning the language of feelings and needs; and basic communication literacy that is NOT included in the NVC model
What is so exciting for me about this latest book is first, its my most mature offering to date. 40 years of psycho-spiritual developmental work have gone into this book (including 6 years in the A/R movement). Second, its my first book that’s of potential interest to a larger audience (the Circling Guide is for people in A/R, the memoir is for people who like memoirs). And third, it’s my first book in which I will have the guts to ask for readers, reviewers and marketing partners (because I really believe in it).
If you might be interested in being a reviewer or marketing partner, and get an early copy of the book, follow the links and the instructions. I will be in touch.
Some “build” articles
People have been asking me for more technical details (construction and sourcing details) of some of my summer projects, specifically the ebikes business. An ebikes build article is coming soon. In the meantime, I have had some time to kill these last few weeks (you can’t be frantically packing and moving 24×7) so I wrote up:
The “Nano-RV”: Converting a Ford Focus to a miniature RV / Traveling vehicle
And: Converting a cheap Guide Gear wood stove to a secondary combustion system
Who knew that in my retirement I would return to my childhood “mad scientist” years (As told in the memoir)? Or even that I had some talent in engineering design?
Life is good. God is great.
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