Living Large in a Mini Van
It used to take me the better part of an hour to scope out a van-camping spot, before finally settling on what felt like “the perfect one.” In the early days, I stayed mostly at provincial parks, and even if I were the only one there, I would race around in a panic, sure someone … Continue reading Letting Go of Perfect
Today we made our way south through Pennsylvania, into West Virginia and are now just north of Virginia. I was poky (according to the trip summary below) because I had to do important things like: A) STOP TO REMOVE MY DOWN JACKET, and B) Go for a long walk by a creek WITHOUT MY DOWN … Continue reading How We Roll
Here are some ways I’ve tackled fears about “letting go of things” that I wrote about in my last post: “Downsizing for Vanlife: Naked & Afraid.” 1. Our things represent “who we are.” This may be true, but we are not our things; we’re so much more. During downsizing, it helped to think in … Continue reading Thriving In Downsizing
If you’ve been following my Sedona “mini-series” you know I worked on “letting Sedona come to me” rather than curating the experience; letting go of expectations for that Sedona energy thing. I need to finish my story now. Because, although it took a bit of time, Sedona did arrive. For three days I stayed in … Continue reading This Vantastic Life: The Accidental Vortex
Because Sedona is commonly referred to as a very special and unique place, I’m tempted to grow all kinds of expectations around being here. Hopes for what I might see, feel and experience. Being a spiritually curious person, I might even be tempted to hope for a life-changing revelation or an out-of-body experience. Maybe I’m … Continue reading This Vantastic Life: My Sedona
I woke up this morning feeling like I had an actual hangover. Is that a thing? A phantom hangover from merely fighting the idea of a drink? Given my mental fogginess, I gave myself permission to process less today. Today, I didn’t need to understand anything in particular. I declared it “sensory day” - just … Continue reading A Month in a Minivan: Day 26
I almost stayed in a hotel tonight. All day long I toyed with the idea, like a hungry cat first toys with a death-row mouse. There is a certain adrenaline that comes with the hunt; a rush that accompanies chasing something down and eventually eating it. The seed was planted early in the day, … Continue reading A Month in a Minivan: Day 25
Anxiety is whipping around me like a strong Arizona wind, of which I now have first-hand knowledge. Instead of running away, I try to lean into it. As if it were a gentle breeze, and I a bird who could float on top of it, without being swept away into the up-current. It’s a strange … Continue reading A Month in a Minivan: Day 22
NEWS FLASH: Garbage disposal results in Road Trip. What began as a one-agenda day (the agenda item being a trash can for my one bag of garbage) unfolded into quite a memorable day of meandering that met a number of my needs. It unfolded a little little like this... The Question: Where will I deliver this … Continue reading A Month in a Minivan: Day 20
It’s “Biscuit & Gravy Sunday” here at the Wayside, and because it’s biscuit Sunday, everything else will have to wait. It was the only thing on today’s agenda for me, and I came into it fully expecting it to fill the entire morning. I’ve been looking forward to this, and being mostly an herbivore, I don’t … Continue reading A Month in a Minivan: Day 18