Everytime we have friends and family together we get to see a bit of magic happen, and I have to admit that I get a bit of a high off of the feelings of love and smiles I get to see. Just last weekend we got to break-in our cabin area with a proper gathering that was full of calm, comradery, food, and peace. Consequently, the world is in a state where we are in desperate need of as much love and happiness that is possible. We need to keep recharging our souls so we can face each day out in the battlefield of life so we can return safely home to the those who would be lost without us: our partners, pets, children, parents, room mates- whoever.
Perriee and I love hosting so much that we have both aspired to and succeeded, in some ways, at making it a part of our livelihood. We hope that we can continue to develop that aspect of our lives. What better way to spend your time then to prepare for and then make others happy? After last weekend I could really envision that cabin space as a gathering place for many things: receptions, birthday parties, showers, team building, small conferences, fund raisers (wink wink, Crystal), anything.
It would of course be a seasonal gig, with the hope being, that we could take off two or three months a year and recharge and travel and breathe. Yep, that is crazy, but I don’t care. I am sure it is possible if we choose that life for ourselves. It would take a lot of planning and financial discipline, but we can do it. Those are two of our very strong points. This idea of working several months, then taking time off has been in my mind a lot lately. Originally, it occured to me that I could probably do anything long-term, if i knew i got to take significant amounts of time off. I thought, if only my job now offered that option. Sadly, I understand that piece is actually highly unlikely. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the requirement to work for money, and I believe as humans, we have innate drives to be useful and productive. I just don’t think we should all have to do it so much. I digress…
I know I have mentioned this before, but currently, we are hosting our second level of our city home through Airbnb. We have been doing it since 2015 and still take great care to ensure our guests feel welcome and comfortable and special when they stay here. We hope to expand our services to the tipi soon as well. We would only offer it when we are there, but we can already imagine the experience we want our guests to feel while visiting us there. It is a special space.
We are going to paint the sleeping pallet space and take out the hoosier cabinet which will be replaced with a wash area. The floor is already prepped for water, so we should go with it! We will install a shower pan and which will be “plumbed” out the back of the tipi where we have already have a drainage ditch. Toss in a nice shower chair and a wash basin, and voila! You have a bathing area. There will be a gas grill, available to cook on, the fire pit, and the most beautiful night sky you could ask for. Perfecto!
Homework: Have a party!
Aside from the money and the happiness factors, there are bonuses to sharing your personal space with folks. It forces you to show off your good side. It helps you reset your environment. Friends once shared a funny meme with me in advance of one of them getting ready for a party: Clean like it looks like no one lives here! One a year is a good way to give you a reason to clean the baseboards or dust the top of the refrigerator and toss out the old mail that has been piling up. Some people don’t need a party as an excuse, but I do and the reward is always sweet.
Hosting with Airbnb forces us to keep our home in the best shape possible, both functionally and aesthetically. If it doesn’t look good and deliver, folks won’t want to stay here. I wish i could put more into it then we already have, but over the years I feel like Perriee and I have managed to keep it looking fresh, whether it be by buying new towels or a new area rug or redoing the bathroom (which we are very proud of, by the way). Then in the space we have, which can be see by our guests, we keep our junk piles to a minimum and make sure it is ready to look at should someone want to peek at while here. I look forward to bringing this process to the tipi. It keeps us looking good which feels good to us too.
To host an event at the cabin will push it all to another level. In the meantime, I will keep mapping it out in my mind. So far, it looks amazing.
You might not be able to buy happiness, but you sure can create it.
Making Time for Tipi 