Yvonne Marie Gallegos

Honoured to share this moment with Yvonne, who has called her Airstream home since 2023. I often fantasize about life without baggage, especially since my business requires so much space for production, machinery, and inventory. Whenever I meet someone, especially someone close to my age, who has found the courage to live freely, outside of societal expectations, I'm eager to learn more. I have so many questions for Yvonne, but the one that feels most urgent for me is how she navigates the challenge of living in the moment and taking risks as a woman in midlife.
This is what she had to say . . .

"To be or not to be, that is the question…” 

There are the obvious technical roadside challenges that come with towing an Airstream thousands of miles between Canada/US from the rolling Tennessee mountains to the scorching roads of the Mojave Desert or the high altitudes of the Rockies to the thick heat and humidity of South Florida. Through high winds, torrential downpours, hurricanes and just a plain old perfect blue sky sunny day. An exploding tire here, a way too low bridge there, acute awareness of consumption and waste, route planning for a safe place to sleep, uninvited guests with a lot of curiosity who want to see inside my world, a vigilant eye at all times. This kind of lifestyle is absolutely dreamy but also very unpredictable to say the least, but isn’t life? Nothing is 100% promised. Not your health, not your relationships, not your bank, not your family, not tomorrow… not even you. I could go on and on about these obvious challenges that do require my physical strength, keen awareness, good problem-solving skills, adaptability and a fucking great sense of humour, but I’ll focus more on what I think is the biggest and more important challenge…

The real challenge in my opinion is remembering my intuitive spiritual Path/route. Ancestral remembering of my power as a woman in this crazy time we find ourselves in and stepping into those shoes without question every day. Yes… I am indeed a woman who has crossed over that threshold into ‘midlife’. This new year my body has realized its destined achievement/completion of the Maiden/Mother. Fulfilment of my fertile stage into menopause or the Sage like Mother who knows she knows nothing! I now occupy this kintsugi vessel that is wiser, wilder, stronger, more intelligent, authentic and brighter than ever. It is in this rite of passage that I can sit tranquillo with a clearer perspective and understanding of my existence on the Earth that we occupy right now…in the age of The Anthropocene. A contemporary world with rapid technological change. An age where humans are moving further and further away from our ancestral connection to Gaia, our true Mother who gifted us a highly developed mind to navigate our lives with full authority. Authority to pave our own Path and know that we are worthy to live a life steeped in joy, love and happiness. It is not something we need to ask permission for, pay for or earn. It is our sovereign and divine right!

Remembering why I’m out here, what makes me feel safe and grounded brings me back to Shakespeare’s quote, which is what I immediately thought of when you asked me this question Milena. A famous soliloquy from Shakespeare that can be interpreted and adapted in so many ways. Powerful words for anyone who has breath in their lungs who has contemplated life and death. To Be or Not To Be is a choice to live or not to live. To Not Be is not an option for me.
I will not choose to be led into a lifeless slumber. To Not Be is to choose a spiritual death in a sense: to be swallowed up by the complacency and the mundane. The joyless routine offering false security or the emotional numbness and lacklustre existence that society has made so easy to fall into. Succumbing to the idea that 'this' is all there is to life: being safe, following the rules, playing the game, and the idea that our lives will be threatened if we dare to live outside the box. False truths derail.
The real truth is that if you truly occupy your mind and body with full agency, allowing your soul to surrender and trust your world will not collapse. On the contrary, what I'm learning is that the world will in fact hold you every step of the way and more importantly, show you that you are not alone. The Universe/God wants you to marvel at the immense beauty of this world and be a part of this vibrant painted canvas that is life. I'm not saying it will be easy breezy or without hard times, deep loss, sadness and fear. These elements are part and parcel to being alive and trying to control these more complicated human experiences is futile. We must embrace them with all our love and compassion. Understanding balance in life. I say this to everyone: be afraid and level up! Be brave enough to chip away at the outer and inner limitations in this life. Contemplate mortality and live your life to death!

Trust me, I am not saying I have it all figured out. Everyone’s journey is different. I want to be clear too that what I'm talking about can be achieved or not achieved under a roof or no roof. It's not literally the lack of walls per se that make my spiritual path more clear every day, it's my inner journey. One can absolutely live a passionate life the Gods would be proud of under the same roof, in the same neighbourhood, in the same city, in the same country for a lifetime. There are no road maps or magick words anyone can offer in this journey. None. No one can make decisions for the way your life turns out, so it's vital to listen to your voice that is authentically your own before it's too late. Ask yourself ... Who am I? What is my Truth that lives inside me? What does my soul need to feel nourished and loved? What does it need to feel whole and alive? What is my North Star? Who and what is God to me? What is my soul’s dream? Does it feel weird or unattainable? What is stopping me? Identify these fears. I promise you, Gaia wants you to be a human in full bloom from the garden that is her womb. Gaia's wish for you is to be that dream that's in your heart. It's in your wild authenticity that you will be of greater service to the collective.

Finally, I can say with absolute certainty: my fear of wasting my one life, losing this connection to Mother Earth and not living my life to its fullest vibrant potential is far greater than my fear of the unknown. This is what keeps me grounded and what makes me feel alive. It overrides any fear of not knowing what’s around the bend.

I am here. I exist. I matter. I am alive. I choose To Be

 

YVONNE wears her own one-of-a-kind TAO jacket