We have landed back in Arizona where it all started just over a year ago. Little did we know where the road was to take us when we took off. Early on we decided we would take this year to travel the country and see as much as possible. We packed a lot into a year. We ended up hitting 33 states traveling over 10,000 miles. This is really incredible reflecting back on it now. We had no idea what were were doing when we started. This is the first RV we have owned. The extent I knew about how everything worked was a 30 minute walkthrough our salesman, Rodney provided. Afterward he simply said just drop me a call with any questions. Needless to say I called him A LOT! He might have regretted giving me his cell number. After our 30 minute education, we hooked our truck up to our house on wheels and off we went. “The Den of Acceptance” is 36 feet long making our total length 57 feet. The longest thing I had pulled previous to that was my Dads 14 foot fishing boat. Was I freaked out? ABSOLUTELY! Nevertheless “I did it scared” as a friend of ours often says. And by the Grace of God we were guided back here safely.
Early on, something that really jumped out at us were the people we met. Not only people living this lifestyle, but also people living in the areas we visited. We were really blown away by how gracious and helpful people were. It seemed when we got into a jam, an Angel was sent at exactly the right time to help. Many of these interactions led to us sharing our stories. Quite often within a few minutes we were sharing personal details of our lives with someone we had not known 10 minutes previous. These interactions cemented our belief that most people are inherently good.
This year was as rewarding as it was challenging. The many places that we were able to experience was really beyond what we hoped before we started. We found ourselves emotionally and even spiritually connected to some locations along our journey. From the red rocks of Arches National Park to the fall foliage in New England to the beach on Tybee Island. It was almost if we were meant to be at these places at exactly that time. These places or the journey to these places had something to teach us.
At times we were taken out of our comfort zones physically, mentally, and emotionally. Little did we know how much work went into life on the road. There is the planning of where to stay, what to see, grocery shopping, laundry, propane refilling, maintenance etc. that goes along with it. Our situation added complexity to some of these daily tasks. Over the months “Anxiety Layers” I will call them began to form. Not any one major event happened, but one little thing layered on top of the previous one. As these layers formed, I felt more and more pressure. It would get to a point that a broken shoelace would send me over the top. There were times I emphatically cried out to Colleen “I can’t do this any more. We are selling this thing (I used more colorful language)”. When emotions settled, we pressed on. And just about every time we did, something amazing was around the corner. At the end of the journey it turns out that I was right, “I can’t, but WE can and WE did”.
When we have shared our story with people about our travels this year, one common response is “So will you just continue traveling now with this year coming to a close”? The answer to that is yes and no. We will still travel as the weather dictates by the seasons avoiding temperature extremes, but we will not be traveling like we did this year. There was a purpose for this year and we have satisfied that part of our personal journey. We have work to do. We have been given an extremely precious gift to be able to live life on life’s terms. Not only do we want to share our story, but we believe we have an obligation to do so. And so now the next chapter begins.
