When I returned to Florida in 1991 after living in Seattle for 9 months, I felt very disappointed with the flatness and sameness of the environment, and also the almost constant heat. I desperately wanted a different life but I wanted to live in a place that was within an easy days drive from my family. One night I had a dream, literally, that I was standing on a deck looking out over a mountainous view. I kept that dream in my mind and heart.

One day a few years later, I decided to try to find a couple we had a falling out with and I knew had moved away. That very evening my partner received a call from her past work, saying that one of those friends had called there wanting to get in touch with her but they didn’t know how. She left her phone number and asked if they could contact my partner.

How’s that for serendipity? We called them immediately and found out that they had moved to the Asheville area, an extraordinarily beautiful, wonderful area with 4 seasons, which are reasonably mild, and was a thriving gay community. We took an exploratory trip to see them and the area, and of course, fell in love with the magnificent mountains of Western NC. So we proceeded to make a plan to move there. By the way, it is about a 10 hour drive from St. Petersburg where my two children live. That was in May of 1996 when we moved to Sylva, about an hour west of Asheville.

In May of 1999, I almost literally fell into the purchase of a simple cabin, high up on the side of a mountain, with a bird’s eye view of Mt. Pisgah and the Blue Ridge Parkway. That view was right off the simple deck, all of which can be seen from my bed! I moved there by myself, except for my dog and cat.

I frequently think about that dream that I had one night which came to a realization in the physical realm. Get clear on what you want, see it, and believe it and it will happen!!!