Adventure In Guam

Hi, I'm Theresa. I moved to central North Carolina in April of 2021, fleeing the wildfires and smoke in my beloved Oregon after the town I raised my son in burned down, and after being evacuated from two fires in northern California.

I hoped to contribute my skills and energy to a forming ecovillage (CommonGround.eco) to help them get off the ground and be a part of their community life. I resonated with their values and goals of living gently and sustainably on the earth, farming their land in a regenerative fashion, and creating a new cooperative culture of caring for each other while growing authentic relationships.  

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Then in early 2023, when construction costs and interest rates were sky-high, I came to realize that I really couldn't afford to buy into this community.  Nor was I able to live affordably in the local community, and I certainly was not able to buy a home.  I hadn't met my life partner (and not for the lack of trying!) so it was back to the drawing board.  At one point I printed out an application for public housing in the area.  A friend sent me an advertisement for a FT job doing what I knew best (mediation and conflict resolution) for a federal agency in Washington DC.  I spent several months pursuing that job, but it eventually fell through.  After applying for numerous other jobs, I was offered a job as an Assistant Attorney General on the island of Guam.  I'd never been there and knew nothing about it, but after some research, a lot of soul-searching and praying, I decided to accept the position. 

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A close friend suggested that I think of it as a pilgrimage.  I liked that.  It made it feel less scary somehow, and my spiritual life has always been at the forefront for me.  It also felt like stepping off a cliff, which is not unfamiliar.

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