Where My Soul Resides

Whaur mah sool has resided fur eons an' Ah feel haem fur th' first time in mah life, Mah life truly started when Ah moved frae California tae Scootlund.

As a little girl I knew I would marry a British man. He'd be tall, have a beard, a deep voice, and he would treat me like a queen. Dreams and fantasies I was told. I lived in the same house for 14 years before globetrotting with the Army for a few. Then I settled in Austin, Texas for 9 years before going back to California. I was there for 23 years in an emotionally and financially abusive relationship. In 2017, a pair of incredible musicians and the handful of folks, who became part of my inner circle, showed me what living is all about. It was then I decided to move to Scotland.

To tell you where my hometown is, I will need to tell you how I got here. I had a huge helping of kick a** from the Universe for many years before I listened. Then the Universe kicked it into high gear to make sure I completed my homecoming by sending a worldwide pandemic to make sure I stayed put.

My homecoming came after a secret mission of military precision. A handful of friends came to my house on December 16, 2019. One took my 4 cats to fly to Scotland that night and the others helped me pack the last of my stuff (I'd been packing for 2 years and stored at a friend's house) while my housemate was at work. He never knew until he got home that night. My flight left on December 17th and landed in Glasgow on December 18th. Happy 57th birthday to me! Graham met me and we drove home to Tobermory. When I arrived in the house he said, "Welcome to your home love." And I knew it to be true. I realized how lucky I am to be in this place, with the incredible folks I call neighbors, and the community that helps its own because that is what a community does.

In 57 years on this Earth, I had never had a "home." I didn't have a hometown. I lived in a neighborhood, but it wasn't a hometown like I saw in the movies. When I left my parent's house, I moved around a lot. The Army had some to do with it, but mostly, I didn't feel like I was home. When I visited Scotland I felt like I had come home. It was a surreal experience. It was as if I had been gone for a long time... and when the tour bus topped the hill into Glen Coe, I burst into tears. I felt like I belonged here. When I came back in 2018 and stayed in Tobermory for 2 days, my soul said this is a great place. I've never liked the sea much for a place to live. I also never wanted to live on an Island. I didn't even blink when I found Tobermory.

I started packing to move in January 2018 and spent 7 weeks of the summer of 2019 living on Tobermory. It was glorious. I felt like I finally fit in. I had a garden I adored, had found the love of my life, and met a lot of people just like me. Artsy, musical, theatrical, and friendly. The entire town new my name after the first week. I was greeted in the streets by name. People genuinely wanted to chat with me. When I went back to California it took me 4 days to call back to Tobermory and ask, "What would you think if, when I come to visit at Christmas, I don't go back to the USA?" The answer from my love was, "That would be my dream come true."

I'll send you on a musical, photographic tour of what makes my hometown the one special place on Earth that I call home. I completed most of the photos with more of the story of why Tobermory is so special and maybe someday I'll meet some of the folks who view, read, and listen to this magical journey.