Episode 1 Adventures with Charity Joy:

If you are reading this then we have crossed paths at some point on this journey. I’m on a great adventure once again.

After spending six months in south Florida this winter it has come the time where I have put my traveling pants on, and am inviting you on for the ride!!! Who’s coming?

I venture north from Homestead Florida on June 3, 2022 in the midst of a tropical storm. My truck is fully loaded in the back cab, with a cooler and my Thai yoga mat in the back bed. The rain pelting down my speed can not exceed 35 mph on Florida’s turnpike. After an hour and a half arrive at my first destination, Soul Acupuncture, for a sessions with my soul sister, Meg Frodel. Meg is an amazing being I met at a Funk and Flow dance class a few months prior. When we met she did the “I got my eyes on you” motion and I knew instantly we would be kindred spirits. The Accupuncture session had me in a state of total bliss and feeling of floating as I left the office and said my good byes. Next stop Palm Beach Gardens, still storming like crazy, I set up for “The Movement”, ecstatic dance session, at Metta Studio. Speakers, check Laptop, check, mixer, check, mic, check. Lights dimmed, 5 gorgeous women ready to dance, move, breathe and let go with my facilitation to be who they desire to be and create a future beyond their imagination. A gorgeous evening beyond what I could imagine.

I slept in the screened in porch with the sound of the rain pounding down all night. An early rise of 4:00am I was out the door with the truck fully loaded again with Dj equipment and all other belongings. A few turns and I arrive on the the dark, glimmering with rain, I-95 Highway. Three hours straight north with a quick stop to see an old friend from Maine, dolphins, and the sun coming out after the storm.

Arrival to Asheville North Carolina, is super inviting, 77 degrees and the sites of the smoky mountains all around have me just in a state of great fullness and joy. Have you ever had those moments where you just know you are exactly where you are meant to be? Thats exactly the sensation that swept over me.

As I proceed just north of Asheville to Weaverville, where my airbnb is located, I weave in and out of windy mountain roads in awe of the magnificent greens surrounding me.

Staying in a remodeled box truck as a tiny house on the sweetest property was a warm welcome. Nestled into the side of a mountain at Wild Abundance, a permaculture, carpentry and earth skills venue I felt right at home. With a quick walk to get the lay of the land I met the owner Frank who was super inviting and pointed out a few key places for me.

Eleven and a half hours on the road hit me hard once I unpacked. I make a quick dinner of smoked trout, crackers, spinach, and cucumbers, where I sit out on the porch and enjoy the sounds of the mountains around me. By 9:30pm I crawl and snuggle into the soft bed where I sleep for 11 hours.

The early morning greets me with a smile on my face. I prepare the coconuts I brought from Florida to make coconut milk. I jump on my yoga mat to stretch, breathe and be at one with the nature around me. An outdoor shower, a briefing of my surroundings and I’m off for a hike to Douglas Falls.

The green is more than I imagined. The fresh air, the birds chirping, the elementals and faeries in full force around is just such a delight. I hike straight up along a river with multiple waterfalls to my right side. I’m more and more immersed into nature and I’m smiling from ear to ear. How did I get so lucky to choose such magic? The trail leads to a road that I wander down for a time and realize I should turn around in the other direction towards Moonlight Sanctuary where I began. Down, down, down I go with glimpses of the Smoky Mountains all around me. Let me remind you I have been living at sea level for years so the altitude definitely has my heart pumping and my pores pouring. It feels amazing. Like I’m alive and living my best life.

Descending the mountain I’m even more aware of my surroundings, the sound of water getting closer as I near the river and the falls once again. Only the site of 4 humans on the whole hike. For me this is being one with nature.

Atop of Craggy Pinnacle in the Smoky Mountains outside of Asheville is said to be a Vortex similar to Sedona, and Mount Shasta.

Coming into civilization to the city of Asheville I am still slightly floating from the hike. Grabbing some food and then heading up to Blue Ridge Parkway to see what I could see. Hours later I end up at the top of Craggy Gardens with a group of seekers with yoga mats inviting me to join them for the tour. To find out I have just arrived atop a vortex. How did I get so lucky? To a magical tree I climb and watch the sun set behind the smoky mountains. Total Bliss.

Next Adventure northbound to the Midwest. Thank you for reading and Blessings of ease, joy and fun to all of you tuning in.

Photo and Stylist: Alison Houtte