To what extreme would you be willing to go in order to live your dream . . . to find your bliss?

I’ve just returned from a 2-week trip to the Yukon Territory (Canada) and Alaska (49^th State of the USA). The harsh living conditions and lack of high-paying jobs would be deterrents for most of us; yet, the people I met while on this journey were so passionate about their lifestyle and their symbiotic relationship with Mother Nature. Energy fills the air when they chronicle life in the mountains under conditions most of us can’t begin to imagine. Even after hearing their stories and seeing first hand their living conditions, I am still not quite able to fathom their realities.

Life dances in their eyes when they speak of the 18-hour days that are required in order to trap, hunt and fish for their food. Their love of the outdoors, and their deep reverence for nature, become the shawl that warms them on the coldest of winter nights when their cabin is without electricity, without water, and snow drifts have blocked their doorway. They are truly living their adventurous life – and cannot imagine any other way to live.

That’s what I call passionate living.

Among the many wonderful people I met there were several of the guides who shared their wisdom and historical lore. They are dedicated to preserving the centuries-old lifestyle that we came to enjoy and to experience. I’d like to give you a short profile of a few of them.

One young woman, formerly from Connecticut and with a master’s degree, has been living in the “bush” for 3 seasons now. She is a “musher in training” and now has 38 dogs of her own. She hopes to win the Iditarod in 2008 or 2009, once the dogs are mature and trained, and once they can qualify through a series of small competitions. She currently is a “handler” for Jeff King, 4-time champion of the Iditarod. She lives in a 12 ft x 12 ft cabin with minimal electricity and no running water. (Folks, even in the summertime, your hands sting from the icy, spring-fed waters that run through the few pipes that are around town).

Like most people who live in this part of the world, she works several jobs (keeping 38 dogs fed and cared for requires a nice piece of change!). During the school year, she teaches in a one-room classroom, 30 miles away from her cabin. Student population: 28. Students, by the way, don’t get “snow days” like we do on the mainland. The only time they are exempt from attending is on a day when the temperature dips below –40F (yep, that’s minus 40 degrees!). And the only reason they get excused is because, at –40 degrees, even the diesel fuel freezes. Diesel runs the generators, which are used to warm and start the engines of the school buses and other vehicles used to transport people during the winter. 

I met Jeff King, the 2006 Iditarod champion. He’s a native Californian, and he came to this rugged country for a visit – and decided to stay. That was over 30 years ago. He’s raised a family in this vast wilderness and has a thriving business of breeding and racing sled dogs. He can’t imagine living anywhere else or living a life doing anything else.

My nature guide, Andrea, who I seriously doubt is even close to 30 yrs old, has spent 9 years in these conditions. She shares in the responsibilities of hunting and fishing, putting up the meat, smoking it, pickling it, to get her and her husband through the winter. Andrea’s town is lucky enough to have running water and electricity (until recently, their town was totally powered by diesel generators!). However, Andrea’s home is unable to receive the water, nor can she dig a well, because the permafrost layer is too close to the surface.  Permafrost is ground that stays frozen forever and cannot be penetrated successfully. So she has water trucked in every week.

When she’s not guiding tourists around in the summer months, Andrea is studying to become an RN and currently works as a health technician. She visits the elderly and others who may need assistance during those harsh months. Her town of Dawson City, YK, is lucky to have one doctor. The nearest hospital for treating serious illnesses and injuries is more than 150 miles away – probably a 4-hour trip on a good, clear day. To watch this young woman trudge through the tundra, teaching us of the plants and animals that are in abundance, is mesmerizing. I also met her fellow naturalist, Michelle, who is a trapper (if I recall correctly, she is a transplanted South African).

And the list goes on.

My favorite mythologist, Joseph Campbell, has said, “You must be willing to give up your life for the one that is waiting for you.”  “Follow your bliss,” he tells us.

These folks had a passion. They trusted in themselves to give up one life for another one that brought more joy and fulfillment. They had the courage to change. They thrive on the challenges placed before them and they set a high standard for others who follow.

These few stories I’ve shared with you are an effective demonstration that each of us is here on this earth for a special reason. Finding out that for which we are intended is a powerful, moving experience. This “knowing” then guides us in all that we do from that moment forward.

Now, you and I may not feel called upon to do something as rare and spectacular as these adventurous people in the great North. Yet, when living purposefully, each of us can experience that same excitement and sense of “rightness.”

As you read this, ask yourself these questions:

• Do I feel confident in knowing what my “purpose” is?
• Am I living that purpose? What signals tell me this?
• What is it that I feel most passionate about?
• Are my passion and my current lifestyle in sync with each other?
• Am I ready to invite change into my life so that I can feel more fulfilled?

Have you thought about what you are willing to give up in order to have an authentic life that is filled with joy and wonder every day? As a personal life coach, I am trained and ready to help you discover your path to a greater, more fulfilling life. Contact me and let’s talk.

Have a Golden Week!
Coach Darlene