Options
Parcel in Polson
I hesitate to share this but here goes. Yesterday, we gave the go-ahead to our realtor to put an offer in on our behalf on the piece of land you see above, located in Polson. So that’s a thing that happened. But here’s the deal - and why I am hesitant to share about this - it’s a long-shot move. There’s not a good chance that the seller will accept our offer based on how much below asking we are able to afford. But, we figure, why not try? The worse they can say is no - and like the common adage goes: If you don’t ask for what you want, the answer is always no. So, we’re expecting it’s a no-fly zone on this land deal but, maybe we’ll get lucky.
Something I am learning as we go here is that even when we go out on a land search with boots on the ground and find ourselves clearly amid terrain that will not meet our needs, or we find ourselves traveling down a rough stretch of dirt and know full-well that there’s no way we can build a practice center down such a rugged road and ask folks to traverse it, we gain valuable information about what’s important to us in terms of what our needs and wants are. And every step we take, even if it doesn’t work out, is helping to keep the energy flowing in the direction we want to be going. In this case, and in many other life situations, I put stock in the approach that: Doing something is better than doing nothing - even if that something is done with clunkiness, discomfort, uncertainty, or pangs of fear.
So, this Polson land is our Option One right now.
In having sent out the bat signal online last week on Facebook and Craigslist that we are a Montana couple looking for land to start a mindfulness practice center, two leads popped up that are currently active for us. So I reckon we could call them Options 2 & 3.
Option 2. A woman responded to our Craigslist ad and has 10-acres with her husband out towards Drummond. Here’s what she said in her email: My idea was to set up a tiny village and allow young people who need a break from rent to come and live and lay a foundation to build their futures. We are facing so many different crises in our future with climate change and social unrest. She thought our missions might be able to align.
I was nourished by her email and greatly appreciated that she reached out. Her and I have been emailing back and forth at length. If there might be a way to work out a short-term living situation with this couple while our search for a more permanent home-base continues, it might work out really well.
Option 3. Yesterday, I chatted for a while on the phone with a woman who reached out to me via my contact form on my personal website (inmindfulmotion.com). She was directed to me by a friend of a friend who originally saw my post on Facebook (thank you social media!). It’s a rather complex situation but basically it involves a land share arrangement that she and her partner have with another couple and the other couple is selling their portion of the land share.
Once again, I was so appreciative that she reached out. It feels really supportive to hear from folks who support our vision as well, which she does.
Having heard from two women in the past week who took the time to look at our website and reach out to me feels like such a gift. Even if nothing works out with either one, the river of Empty Mountain’s energy is flowing and connecting with others is encouraging and supportive.
Option 4. If none of the above options pan out, based on Mike and I feeling the crunch of time and the short window of summer here, I reckon we will likely put a pin in our land search until next spring. This option would involve us selling our house in the next 2-3 months; possibly selling our two vehicles in order to get a van to live in; putting our stuff in storage; heading south for the winter; and returning in the spring to resume our search.
Most of the parcels that we can afford that are on the market right now all have the same big strike against them: access. The dirt roads are hella long and/or rough & tumble to reach em and winter access would be by snowmobile. OR they are small lots located right in a town someplace. There are also a few parcels for sale in our price range that are just open grassy or sage-field terrain, which has it’s own allure for sure but ultimately is not what we’re looking for.
Whelp. Stay tuned for next week’s riveting edition of: What will Mike and Nicole do this summer?! where maybe - just maybe - we’ll have a better idea of what our plan is. The dramatic conclusion is yet to come!!