Today was a very special day, well every day is special…
I am on a long term 2 month sit in a wonderful bubble of pond, lakes and woods in Columbia, SC. A little over a year ago, I sat for a lovely couple in Jacksonville, Fl. They have a beautiful home with a lovely peace of Earth, 2 dogs and a sweet elderly cat. The lady of the house and I connected almost immediately and spent many hours chit chatting in the kitchen before and after their return. Since then without fail except for conflicts with travel, we have zoomed once a week, still chatting and doing yoga (she is an instructor)
They love to take their dogs on their short trips and today on their way back from their holiday they stopped to meet me. We went on a hike at a nearby state park, husband, dogs, she and I.
Suffice to say I feel …I am moved by what has happened in my life since I began doing this. I realized today that my desire to travel, to care for pets, to be adventurous has led me to finding some of the greatest people I have ever known.
I call them friends.
and I have friends all over the world now.
Sorry we forgot to take pics so no sweaty selfies, but lots of sweaty hugs.
Have fun and be happy.
P.S. they loved their new THsitter and I am glad to know my friends are well cared for.
That’s so lovely, Amparo. I know you attract kind spirits to you. And you always will, wherever you are.
It’s really special @Amparo the connections and friendships we make through THS. This visit to England saw me being re-united briefly with Monty, a chocolate Labrador, who I had looked after in 2017. His owner and I have kept in touch via FB and it was lovely to see them, Monty, and meet Bear, who joined the family not that long after I had sat for them.
We did a similar thing just last week @Amparo While house sitting in the Alps we were close to a repeat sit where the owners have become friends, and when they heard we were close by they invited us to stay overnight to catchup when our sit had finished! As soon as we walked through the door, Neddy was there to greet us and tbh we probably spent more time with him during the day as we took him off for a good long walk and a splash about in the river, which he absolutely loves!
While there we also had the opportunity to meet a new owner who we’d had to reject earlier in the year and enjoyed a couple of hours over G&Ts chatting about house sitting, pets, travel and living in France! Hopefully we’ll be returning there next year when they go away again!
You are so right, and I think I’ve said this before, but we feel we have friendships made all over the world since we sold up almost 10 years ago, that have endured and strengthened and made this lifestyle a very happy place to exist in 
@Amparo what an absolutely terrific story! This is what it should all be about!
This is something I found to be true right after I joined TrustedHousesitters…making new friends, both human and furry, was one of the greatest finds to date. We have made so many new and lasting friendships from those who sat for our late Sassy Girl. Many became multiple sits so we had the pleasure and opportunity to expand our friendships over time. We would invite many over the night before we left so we could sit on the patio under the twinkling lights and enjoy dinner and wine! Great experience and such great memories!
Beautiful @temba
I just love this. X
My dearest friends are people I have met while sitting @Debbie-L and that’s a fact.
We have had the same experiences everyone in this feed has mentioned. Meeting like minded people around the world who we genuinely connect and enjoy has been the surprise gift we didn’t really consider when embarking on this journey. We remain in very close contact with our first pet sitters and have just missed them by a day or two in Spain and England within the last six months. We are missing our first pet owners in Paris by just 5 days. Our current pet sit in the Cotswolds feels like we are staying with old friends. We had a lovely day within them prior to their departure and will spend another full day and night with them after they return.
It’s Lovely isn’t it?
To me it’s like a beautiful dance, graceful, peaceful and joyful.
Admittedly I have not been very good in keeping in touch with everyone, there have been so many. I have well over 100 sitting experiences now and every once in a while very unexpectedly I get a note, an email a private message from someone who for a brief moment in time, filled my soul. At times it is a request to return or just a howdy do, where are you, or just an update on pets and life in general.
Never imagined or expected anything like this. Now it is probably the main reason I do this. That feeling is priceless. It is comforting and when the world seems crazy it restores hope and faith that all is well.
HAve a good weekend everyone, I am taking my mushy self elsewhere.
I arrived in the US on Sunday … first stop was one of my favorite places in the world, Bainbridge Island, WA and the home of one of my best friends, a friendship gift from TrustedHousesitters which began 9 years ago and two little dogs, Paddington & Coco … we shared sadness and tears on Wednesday when we heard about the passing of Queen Elizabeth.
Today I traveled to LA, tonight sharing Friday night dinner, the most popular Shabbat meal with dear and lifelong friends, another TrustedHousesitters friendship gift from a little “girl” called Stella … we shared stories and our feelings for the Queen, sadness is universal.
Sunday I leave for San Diego and another pet sit with old friends first brought together by Alfie, Mitzi and Sabrina 8 years ago in New York … another gift of friendship from the pets of TrustedHousesitters.
We are truly a unique and very special community there are so many possibilities when we open up our hearts and minds and embrace this lifestyle not forgetting the huge thank you we owe to our pet members, after all they are the friendship connectors.
Like @Amparo I will now take “my mushy self elsewhere’” 
