I’d like to thank everyone who is still keeping in touch. I’m especially moved by those who have expressed concern that I am depressed or in a funk. I just wanted to touch base to say that everything is fine. It’s not good and it’s not bad, it’s just life. I am content, in a good mood, creative, productive, and healthy.
Those of you who have read Lessons the Road Taught Me know that I don’t believe that our lives are our own and that we are gently guided toward some greater cosmic purpose. When I fight my Path, I am anxious, malcontent, exhausted, and fearful. When I allow my life to take the shape meant for it, I am at peace with whatever fate has thrown at me. That’s where I am right now, a little disappointed, but wise enough to know that things are as they should be.
So with that preface, I can now say that I’m staying in Saskatchewan this winter. I don’t feel like going into all the details of why or how I’m going to do it, but I am going to be fine.
It wasn’t until I settled into a comfortable routine at Haven and established Saskatchewan residency that I came to realise just how tired I was. For five years, I was essentially on the run, staying one step ahead of the law and always worried about overstaying my welcome. Suddenly, I found myself ‘legal’ again and somewhere that I can stay forever if I want.
It’s as though all the miles and stresses caught up with me. I just need a few months to sit quietly and remember just why I put myself through all of that so that I can strengthen myself for the next time that my biological urge to go manifests itself. Because it will manifest itself again, as surely as the sun will set tonight and rise tomorrow.
I just spent five years making up for a lifetime of wanderlust so severe it left no room any other priorities. This past year, my nomadic needs have loosened their grips a little and I’ve found myself able to focus on other things. Ultimately, it’s all preparation for the next phase of my travels.
I’ve cleaned up and simplified my diet, finding myself 36 pounds lighter than I was this time last year. The improved diet that eliminates allergens and irritants has helped me feel so much better and given me energy I thought lost forever, which means I’m more productive and creative at work. I’m still not making enough money, but business is steady and growing and I’m not worried about paying basic bills anymore. I just got a big order from one client because I’m not taking off in the next few weeks. I might even get some ebooks updated this winter.
My home is just so perfect right now, tidy and organized with nothing superfluous. It is a place to cook healthy meals, put in long days at the office, relax with a view and a comfy seat in the evening, and even host friends (Jody is arriving tomorrow for two days!). I’m trying to lure an electrician here to hook me up to the grid, but I’m doing fine off the grid now that I’ve acquired a new-to-me computer (straight trade of my old one for this newer model, no money involved) that uses much less power than my previous computer, dropping my energy need for 70 to 100AH a day to a mere 10 to 50AH!
My current environment is scenic and populated with wonderful people. It’s no wonder I’ve essentially crashed and have no desire to go anywhere.
I’ll be back on the road either in early summer of 2014 (to go to Kelowna again) or early fall; my RV wanderings are far from over! I think that when I’m closer to getting going again I’ll feel like returning to regular updates here. Miranda needs a break, too, and once all her repairs are done, we’ll both have caught our second wind and be ready to drive into an Arizona sunset. I hope you’ll still be here when we do.
Well congratulations for finding contentment in where you are and what you are doing, but hopefully you will still keep us up on the happenings in your life.
I will say I miss reading your daily posts, but understand. I would however love to know more about how your eating habits have changed.
Wow, what a response! Thank you everyone!
Liz, I was eating quite well at home (something that surprises people who see what I eat at a restaurant, which is a treat) as I didn’t buy junk food, have dessert, ate my veggies, watched my calorie intake on days when I was getting much exercise, etc., but my weight stayed in the same 10lb range for ages. So I decided to try something, cutting empty carbs like rice, pasta, potatoes, sugar, and especially bread from my daily diet while upping protein. It was like magic! I wasn’t hungry, I didn’t have any of the carb withdrawal symptoms or cravings I’d heard about. I dropped in three months not watching what I eat except for the low carb thing what I’d lost in six just watching what I ate. What’s interesting is that if I have more carbs one week because I’m with friends or whatever, I just plateau rather than regaining, which tells me that what I’m going is sustainable. The best part of this change is that breakfast has gone from peanut butter on toast to a big bowl of homemade hummus! I mean, it’s pure protein with lemon juice, garlic, and cumin; can’t get healthier than that! 🙂 I’m not on the low carb bandwagon, though, in that I don’t care how many carbs are in an apple or a carrot, and if I’ve had a super active day, I am going to enjoy a little brown rice!
Good to see your post, I still check every day hoping to see a few lines. I’m glad you have found a great place to live among good people. You deserve that!!
I don’t post often but just wanted to say thank you for all the time you’ve spent updating this blog. You’re one of the people who inspired my first timid steps into the world of RVing, and having been on the road for over a year now I can say that no small part of my success as a solo female pre-retirement full-timer was due to pioneers like you who showed me how.
I can definitely understand the need to take a break. When it’s time to come back, I’ll be here.
Good to hear things are OK even if not excellent yet. Very glad the new computer is working for you. I do understand the need to sit still and regroup–I’ve been doing that all summer and am still not quite ready to hit the road again but I do need to head south before the first hard freeze. Maybe we’ll meet up in Arizona in January of 2015. Hopefully by then I will have cleaned up my eating again and lost 36 pounds. Not that I’m competing or anything. 🙂
Wish I could lose 36 pounds!
I know what it is like to want to stay put for a time. We love travel in the RV and when we are traveling, two weeks in one place feels too long but it is also really nice to vegetate here on our Island for the summers.
You will soon find the perfect balance for yourself, be it driven by environment, economics, climate or a combination of all those things.
In the meantime, I will watch your Blog and your Facebook page to keep track of you.
I echo the comments above. I keep in touch with you via your Facebook posts, and appreciate knowing that you are doing so well. Oddly, I too feel the need to “regroup” a little bit, but I think it’s the opposite end from you– I need to start detaching from the stuff (meaning both all my activities, and my physical clutter) because I dream of experiencing some of the wandering you have under your belt already. I think these transitional periods of life come from time to time, probably when we need them most, and it seems like the right thing to follow the path your intuition seems to be leading toward. As someone who looks at you with somewhat of a maternal eye (you are only about 5 years older than my own daughter), I am PROUD of you! You have accomplished so much, you are taking good care of yourself, and you are living in a place where you can be content and unafraid for a while. When you are ready to wander, you will know what direction to drive away toward. Keep those Facebook mini-updates coming when you can, and thanks for not forgetting your faithful readers. We love you!
I have your Facebook site Bookmarked now but I see that I need to come back to your blog from time to time. I missed the postings that you made to it after you announced that you were moving to Facebook.
Good luck this winter, hope you are back on the road as planned.
So glad you are healthy! That is a fantastic weight loss, trying to lose myself and cutting back the carbs, amazing how I lost weight when I don’t eat sugar or bread! Staying in place sounds like a wise decision for now.
Good luck with all the new on your plate!
Glad to hear you are doing okay.