Spring Cleaning with The Spice Girls
The Spice Girls, March 2023 photo by Sandra Butel
I am Sandra Butel and this is my beautywalk.
beautywalk is my ongoing attempt to investigate the nooks and crannies of my humanness and to share that with you so that you might also find your way towards a deeper connection to yourself and others.
My last house sit was a bit out of the ordinary. To my surprise I found myself on the inside of a gated resort village, complete with a variety of types and sizes of houses on wheels. The first reaction of my inner judge was to flood my brain with images and ideas that had been formed in my mind years ago. This time the comments echoing in my left hemisphere were focused on the stereotypes and preconceived notions about trailer parks and the people that lived there. These ideas had been formed from one too many movies about “down on their luck” people who were forced to choose this lifestyle. Or it may have had something to do with the narratives of such shows as “Trailer Park Boys” that had set a specific picture in my mind.
As part of my ongoing personal practice has been to question all of my preconceived notions, I stepped into this resort village with a clear intention to be curious and ready to learn more by paying deep openhearted attention to every detail around me. I got a full tour on day 1 with the owners who pointed out not only the garbage and recycling, where to take the dogs for an off leash walk, where to fill up with fresh filtered water but also two outdoor hot tubs, the communal indoor pool, the resident cafe and the local beach. I was invited to check out the monthly activity schedule and extra services offered in this cozy community, which included:
Almost daily Zumba classes (first one is free and the next one’s $2),
Community bingo night once a week (you have to get there early or the seats will all be taken)
A lending library for books and puzzles (YES!)
A laundry room with coin operated machines and filtered softened water (as well as the best needlepoint of Thank You For Not Smoking sign that I have ever seen).
Various community events that focus on fun and bringing people together in connection.
Fresh baked bread and cinnamon buns (they were yummy!) and homemade soup each day at the Cafe
Cheery Café with homemade yumminess by Sandra Butel
The space I called home during this sit was cozy and warm and had everything I needed to feel safe, comfortable and well cared for. I was delighted to have been given the opportunity to care for two Papillon puppies - one named Cayenne (13 years old) and the other named Pepper (5 years old) who both did an incredible job of caring for me (and everyone else they came in contact with). My friend Jackie came up with the best moniker for this full on charm offensive power duo; The Spice Girls. I had many moments of chuckling as I compared them to the original.
Over my time here with the inimitable Spice Girls I found this community, made up of both seasonal and permanent residents, welcoming and kind. I enjoyed the hearty waves of everyone as they passed by us at a leisurely 10 km/hr in their golf carts or cars and trucks. The street names brought me great delight as our little trio sauntered by such zingers as Frolic Ave, Relax Rd, Romp Route, Idle Way, Ramble Rd, Wonder Way, Leisure Lane, Fun Cres, Tranquil Track and my personal favourite, Easy Street. I found great comfort in this simple and downsized life, where every space has to be maximized. When I asked the home owners what it was like to move to their current space from a 4 bedroom home in Calgary, they replied that it was a cathartic and positive experience to shed 75% of their possessions.
Spring is here and with it spring cleaning. At the first scents and sights of spring, many of us turn to the idea of getting rid of things that we no longer need or that are no longer serving us. These could be boxes of mementos or it could be stereotyped views of what people are like because of the colour of their skin, their gender, their sexual orientation, their age, or simply whether they live in bricks and mortar or a home that is on wheels and covered in aluminum siding. In my conversations with the locals I learned that there are many reasons that people choose to live in a resort community and that mostly it has to do with finding their own path forward into a simpler, less complicated, less burdensome life.
The view from the Japanese soaker tub by Sandra Butel
No matter the spaces I have come to call home during my beautywalk adventures I have discovered that the most important thing for me is being able to get to the essence of who I am and what I really need as a human being in order to live my best life. It turns out that this involves clearing out the excess of ego and expectation and judgment of myself, others and situations and focusing my energy on making room for new growth.
Home is where the heart is by Sandra Butel
What is it that you need to clear out of your spaces: metaphorical or otherwise that is weighing you down?
What energy can you release now so as to give the seeds of new ideas and perspectives a fertile soil in which to be planted?
What fire can you build in the centre of yourself so as to warm the earth enough for these seeds to take root?
What beautiful new life will burst forth from the seeds of your limitless potential once summer is here?
This is Sandra Butel and this is my beautywalk. I can’t wait to hear about yours.
If you want to do some spring cleaning of your own reach out to me on socials or via my website for a catchup chat or book yourself in for a free 1 hour beautywalk coaching discovery session https://calendly.com/sandrabutel/free-beautywalk-session
Postscript.
For more information on Holiday Park Resort and living the https://sweetlife.com
To save 25% on the fee to sign up as a trustedhousesitter use my link. https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/refer/RAF533647/?utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=refer-a-friend&utm_campaign=refer-a-friend
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