Hello again! Here’s just a little more about my and my “back story”…
I grew up living internationally, moving every few years, as the daughter of a US diplomat. Perhaps that life instilled in me my curiosity about other people and cultures, my commitment to being of service, and my life-long fascination with change, both chosen and unbidden. Each new country I lived in was, in essence, a new chapter! It certainly taught me to swear colorfully in multiple languages!
It was an exciting, scary and ultimately exhausting childhood, and I’ve worked hard to understand its effects and appreciate its gifts, including my swearing skills.
My childhood experience created, I believe, a certain restlessness that continues to show up and move me towards new things, towards my “growth edge.”
What I’ve learned along the way is that when we are challenged by change we sometimes discover how much personal agency we have. It can be also be incredibly helpful – powerful – to identify what doesn’t belong to us at all, and results from systemic and cultural narratives that keep us stuck.
So to present day: my husband (David) and I split our time between San Francisco, California, where we live with an 18 year-old wonder cat named Ethel, and our 1330 acre ranch and lodge on the Drakensberg escarpment in rural South Africa, which we share with a 2 year-old Farm Cat named Bromi. We are establishing Mvemve Lodge at GrootPoort, a guest house and retreat center in the 15-bedroom house on the property. We also hope to offer employment and training opportunities for the locals.
I would not have predicted 2.5 years ago that my next chapter after a 28+ year corporate career would entail a bi-continental life and a farm in South Africa. However, I also know that we were open to a possibility that it might look something sort of like this: we imagined a next chapter with adventure and purpose.
And here we are.