Well, I must admit that this is one day I have come to the end of and I am not really sure about what I want to write.   It's been  a busy, and in some ways, emotional day for me.  So full that I am not quite sure where to start........

I left Kenosha this morning and headed west (and slightly north) to Madison.   I arrived in time to help serve lunch at the West Madison Senior Center   Met some very lovely people - both participants in the meal and the people and volunteers who work there.   I knew it would be a good day when the first woman I met greeted me with a hug rather than a handshake!  They also had their Halloween party right after the meal so I helped out with that and got to be a judge for the costume contest.   I also got to spend about a half hour talking with the woman who was my initial contact when I sent out the first "is anyone out there?" e-mail   Thank you for responding and making me feel so welcome Diane!

After lunch I headed to the Holy Wisdom Monastery here in Madison where I am staying tonight and will be volunteering tomorrow morning.  It's probably not what you think of when you think "monastery" as it is very new and modern and is actually an LEED certified platinum building, complete with solar energy, their own water supply, and as much use of renewable resources as possible.   When they did the demolition of the old building they recycled everything they could, including things like all of the concrete which they used to build berms and other things on the land.   They have an older building that they left intact and converted to a Guest House and Retreat space with 19 guest rooms. When I pulled into the parking lot tonight after being out this evening, there was only one other car in the parking lot, so to say that it's quiet and peaceful is an understatement!  Accommodations are spartan but that is fitting with the purpose and feel of the place.  It is not meant as a getaway place but as a quiet place for contemplation and introspection.

The reason that I came to Madison in the first place happened this evening as well:  I got to see The Weepies in concert!!!   It was at a small venue here in Madison called The High Noon Saloon.  I got there early and managed to get a seat at a table in the balcony so I didn't have to stand the whole night.   It was great and I even liked the opening act as well, so more new music to check out!  The Weepies are a charming couple - rather soft spoken and appear to be humble, but I love their music so it was a genuine treat to get to hear them in person.

And this is where my dilemma starts...... just how much do I want to share on this blog and just how transparent do I want to make my life to those of you who actually read it?   There is a certain joy in getting to share it, but also a fear of sharing too much.   As I think many of you have deduced at this point, this journey is not just a physical one but also a bit of an emotional one as well.   It's about realizing that my life got too comfortable and I rarely stretched my limits to reach outside of my own comfort zone.   And if I did reach outside, would I still feel tethered to the things I felt so comfortable with?   Would I find a new sense of security at being able to do this on my own - to show up in a town where I knew no one, reach out to others and explore on my own and at the end of the day find my way back to myself?

I've learned quite a few things today.  

I've learned that there are a lot of good people in this world who do a lot of good work for people in need, and many of them live here in Madison, Wisconsin.   Everyone I encountered who either worked for or volunteered at the Senior Center seemed to truly enjoy being there, doing what they were doing.

I've learned that you can show up in a town as a stranger and manage to start conversations with a few people along the way who genuinely seem interested in your story - Denise and Jim (forgive me if I messed up your names!) at High Noon Saloon who sat next to me and let me share my story with them.   And the young lady whose name I did not get at the restaurant bar where I ate dinner who told me a couple of musical groups I should check out when she learned of my music tastes.  (I made up some business cards with my blog address on it so I could share it with people when they asked and have managed to hand out a few!).

I've learned that yes, if your base is strong enough, you can feel lost during the day from time to time and still find your way back to yourself at the end of the day.   And that sometimes you are stronger than you think you are.

I also learned how intertwined music is in my life with Brad, and no matter how much I love the music, it's just not the same without getting to share it with him.  He is the other half of the soundtrack of my life - and early on, was the source of most of my knowledge and discovery.  He took me to my first concert and has shared hours and hours of his musical tastes with me at home  (some I like, some I don't!)   He and I kept texting before it started and at one point I had to actually tell him I had to stop because everything he kept saying made me cry.   And I am thankful that the venue was rather dark because there was more than one song they sang that brought tears to my eyes tonight because I felt like they wrote them for me to express how I feel to him.  It is hard to pick just one tonight, but I have chosen "Gotta Have You" by the Weepies and it's for Brad.  I really don't mean to make this blog a sappy love letter to my husband, but there are just those moments that overwhelm you and tonight was one of them.  I would be lost without you.

So now I am exhausted in every sense of the word and need to head to bed.   I will enjoy the quiet solitude and see what tomorrow brings.   Could be another interesting day ....... organized religion and I have a complicated relationship!