Day Thirteen: Beauty and the Beasts

So many mosquitoes! You can't be outside for more than ten seconds before you start being consumed by those bloodsuckers. It's so unfortunate! The view is wonderful, but what good is a view if you can only enjoy it from the inside? Is that any different than looking at a photo or watching it on TV?

Besides the occasional bathroom break for Piper, or feeling brave enough to face the swarms, we spent the day almost completely inside. Luckily, the upstairs bedroom had a large window (3' x 4') overlooking the Missouri River. This was perhaps the most idyllic place to work, despite the lack of A/C and the sloped ceilings on two sides of the room (I've already hit my head twice).

Let me catch you up on our work situations. Alex and I are both continuing our work on this trip. Besides taking an occasional day or afternoon off - the plan for this trip was always to try to work just like at home. We would use the nights and weekends to explore places, getting a sense of what it would be like to truly live somewhere else. My work situation is significantly different than most, as I work for myself and create my own hours. As a therapist licensed in PA, I can only see clients in PA, but it does not matter where I am located. I contacted every state from which I plan to work and almost all gave me the go ahead to continue seeing PA clients (except for two which want me to be licensed in their state). So, I will not work in those states, but I will continue to work during this trip.

Due to us both working, it is paramount that we have two defined office spaces, one of which allows for strict confidentiality. The make up of these "offices" is pretty loose. For a few of our locations, Alex had a kitchen table and I had a make-shift desk made from a nightstand and a chair. Alex needs function - a place to spread out. I need privacy and a good backdrop. No one needs to know that I'm sitting by a bed. I spend about an hour before my first session creating the atmosphere, rearranging furniture and checking lighting. It's been a challenge at each location - but fun to use the resources at hand to design my space.

The challenge of this trip has been making sure we are getting the space we need for our work and life. Not every hotel offers full kitchens. Some promise a "full kitchen" but do not have a full size fridge or any freezer. Not every "suite" has a door separating the bedroom from the living spaces - a must for privacy. I will say this would be far easier and cheaper if confidentiality wasn't the number one rule of my profession. I take it very seriously so I have spent a lot of time researching the places we are staying together on this trip. Of course, Airbnb generally offers what we need - but it isn't always the cheapest or best location. When Alex heads back, picking hotels will be a lot easier.