Heaven On Earth

My friends, this is the Lodge at the Valley of the Moon. My sister and her friend own it. They bought it on a whimsical inspiration received from the ether while weekending at a scrapbooking retreat somewhere in the Seattle metro area. The two of them looked up from their work and across the table at each other and proclaimed, "We can do this!" Their search for property landed them this little log gem a mere half mile from my sister's house as the crow flies, 7.2 miles by road. That should be all you need to tell you that it's situated on the side of a hill. It possesses mountain views glimpsed between the branches of fir trees. Several deer inhabit the lawn on a regular basis. There is a long list of western songbirds that can be seen from its windows.

The lodge is mere minutes from the infamous Snoqualmie Falls. The fans of Twin Peaks among us may recognize the falls from the show's introduction.

Miraculously, all this is a mere 15 minute drive from I-90 which will deposit you another 20 minutes later, if you're lucky enough to qualify for the car pool lane with 2 or more passengers in your car, in downtown Seattle. My wee family spent a blissful week here post-lay-off. It had been planned pre-lay-off and we had the great good sense not to cancel. This little cabin in the woods possesses in spades the most remarkable Soul Balm qualities, it is practically medicinal. It is truly a space for relaxing, creating and even healing (which is perhaps just another form of creating, after all). Though I am not generally prone to psychic experiences or spirit sightings, I could have sworn I witnessed a flyover by the archangel Raphael.

Frankly, the place spooked me at night, which makes me wonder whether people who are more receptive to, how shall I say this?, alternate realities, multiple dimensions, spirits, ghosts, gods and/or angels might find lots to see and engage them here. There's truly something magical about the lodge, even if it is nothing more than the fact that someplace this quiet and pastoral can exist so close to another place so urban.

Maybe that partially explains my New Age literature bent at the moment. There was a bookshelf at the lodge well-stocked with some classic texts from the alternative spirituality genre. I dabbled. It benefited me. At the very least, I am finding this the most calm, relaxed, post-layoff job search I have ever undertaken. This is especially important for me since my job requirements are much more stringent this time around. I need to accommodate the schedule of a day care and, ultimately in a couple years' time, the public schoolday.

I hear so many women say "I think I'll go back to work once my kids are in school" and it always makes me shake my head. How on earth is it easier to go back to work when someone needs to be home by 2:00 pm when school lets out? (And let's not get Coach started on the subject of school schedules vs. corporate expectations because the rant may just spiral out of complete control and the dictates of blogging decency.)

So I'm looking for work in a suburban company that is no more than 20 minutes' drive from my daughter's day care and, eventually, her elementary school. The company must be open to flexible work days or working from home since I intend to remain employed there until the Jujube is at least high-school aged. The implication of this is that the company must be stable enough not to undergo lay-offs on the usual cycle of 2 - 4 years as is the habit of most high tech firms or departments.

I realize that, while what I am seeking is completely sensible and should not be that big a stretch for the technology industry, in reality it is like trying to find a four leaf clover or that proverbial pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Thanks to the Hicks' writings and their Deliberate Creation ideas, though, I fully intend to find such a position. It may take more time than it used to take to land a testing job in downtown Boston (of which, if I so chose, I could currently take my pick), but I'm not looking for a winning lottery ticket or the key to eternal youth or immortality or anything really very hard. What I want is out there. Somewhere. I just have to reel it in.

Thanks to some quality time at the lodge, I believe whole-heartedly in that possibility.

The Jujube and her cousins.