Expanding Happy Goat Productions: An Update
January 22:
It’s been two days since I shared my dream for the next stage at Happy Goat Productions with the general public in the form of this GOFUNDME crowdfunding project. And it’s hard to believe but it’s been less than a month since my life got turned upside down when I took the dog for a stroll and happened to walk on the other side of the street.
And since 56 (!!!) people have already donated with incredible generosity, already exceeding 10% of my fundraising goal, I feel like I should give you some background: It was a rainy slow Saturday morning and I stopped on my morning dog walk to chat with the nice realtor who was updating a for-sale sign and hosting an open house that nobody else showed up for, for a home on a beautiful piece of land in my neighborhood. Stopping for a chat is what we do on the island on Saturday morning dog walks, always ready for a chance to make a new friend or connect with an old one and see where the conversation goes. After telling me that the sellers had just massively dropped the price, this realtor invited me to tour the place, which I had previously ruled out as surely out of my range. My neighbors had told me about it months ago as something that would be so perfect for me, and I had just laughed it off as too expensive, sent the listing to some wealthy friends in Seattle since we are always looking for nice additions to our little community here, and not given it another thought.
But now here I was: I set foot in the place and knew instantly that I had to make it happen. Entering the open kitchen and living and dining area with a full row of windows looking out onto a magical maple tree and the Puget Sound behind it, it took my breath away how clearly I could see that big table that I had always dreamed off. Enough room for 5 (or maybe 6?) students on each side, and me and another teacher at each end, to gather and work together translating texts, discussing “The Transformative Power of Yin,” cooking and eating and laughing and crying, sharing and connecting and growing and learning. Held by the strength of that tree and the depth of the ocean behind it. With almost 1.5 acres of land, providing space for quiet trails and sitting areas, qigong under the maple tree, goats and chickens and a small garden, and a few spots for simple camping. And who knows what else will materialize once I have spent more time over there!
I cannot believe myself that I have the courage to step into this, that I can actually so clearly see myself there, and am committing myself at my age to a big mortgage, which will force me to keep publishing and to keep writing, AND, most importantly, to facilitate in-person retreats to balance all that brain work. This just feels so right, so needed, such a perfect response to this question that has been bugging me ever since I lost my original reason for moving to the Seattle area when my dear friend Lillian Bridges died unexpectedly a couple of years ago. Why am I here? What am I doing here? Where am I supposed to be or go?
Being located just half an hour from the ferry terminal to downtown Seattle, with easy shuttle access to a big international airport, or a 10-minute drive to a smaller airport, Whidbey Island and this potential for an intimate, peaceful, beautiful teaching space really feels like an idea that I have always had in the back of my mind, but just couldn’t figure out how to make happen at my current place. Here, I had a dusty goat barn that would have always been too rustic (and smelly for city people), plus a horrific wind storm last November flattened the barn and smashed that plan before I ever even got to try it out. So for the past year, I have been repairing, rebuilding, fixing up, cleaning up, and, without knowing it, getting my current place ready for selling. And then this place showed up for sale nearby, seemingly out of nowhere, and yet, here I am, having prepared for it to the point that I was able to list my place for sale within 24 hours of getting the other place under contract, 3 days after that leisurely Saturday morning walk in the rain. I think my friend Lillian is working her magic from the other realm…
Everything has been falling into place with such speed and ease that I can hardly keep up. Except for the not so minor hiccup that I have been unable to find the right person to buy my current home, because Whidbey Island is dead in the winter and we first had the post-holiday slump to contend with and then a historic arctic blast that we are still thawing out from, plus the high interest rates and grounded Boeing airplanes and all sorts of other things out of my control. So this is where the crowdfunding comes in: I have had to lower the price of my current home to move it along and may have to lower it further yet beyond the threshold that I set myself for financial comfort. And I don’t have much time left to make this happen since my contract for the new place expires in less than two weeks. So time is of the essence. Stay tuned for more updates…
More than anything, I want to thank you all for your support, in so many ways, from offering to knit a hat for the raffle to sending me the kindest notes of support to letting me cry on your shoulder.
Sabine
