This is my 100th post. I think it is cause for celebration as the idea of blogging was foreign to me and a bit “out of my reach” when I started. I also have a hard time thinking back to the early days as it all seems like ancient history now (I have a hard time remembering yesterday). So, I went back to my first post Butterflies will be Free to try to jolt my memory.
It all came flooding back. The days of preparation were overwhelming and the uncertainty of the whole plan nerve racking. Then, heap on top of that something new like blogging and learning a new photo management system (my old system crashed 2 weeks before departure) and it’s a wonder I ever got started at all.
I guess it’s all about overcoming adversity to try to live the life you dream. The trip took a lot of work just to get out the door and that was only the beginning. Trying to post regularly when you don’t have access to power, internet or time is a constant challenge.
But, after five months on the road, we have settled into a routine, I post early in the morning or late at night when the Dudes are asleep so it doesn’t detract from time with the family or our planned activities and when I don’t have power, signal or time, I just say “oh well”. There are only so many things you can control for and the rest you just have to “let go”.
So far, the trip has exceeded expectations. We have covered 11,000 miles, visited 17 states and 2 countries. We have seen and experienced things you usually only get to read about in books and the Dude’s worlds and minds are expanding before my eyes.
We have good days and bad days just like at home. There are some days when everything is like a fairytale and other days when nothing seems to work out. Like a roller coaster, every downhill is followed by an uphill. The challenge is in learning to enjoy the whole exhilarating ride.
We still don’t plan well and sometimes our plans change minute to minute. Some of our best experiences have come from scrapping plans suddenly to do something else. We don’t usually know where we will be or what we will be doing tomorrow or how long we will be able to make the trip last as money seems to evaporate and that’s all OK. For now, we are loving life on the road and have generated volumes of wonderful memories that we will be able to share for the rest of our lives.
There are two things that keep me up late at night and get me up early in the morning to sit at the computer while the rest of the family is snoozing and they are a desire to chronicle the trip for the Dudes and to share the experience with all of you. Knowing that there are others enjoying the trip as much as we are helps to kick my butt out of bed when I don’t really want to get up. Thanks for all of your comments!
I hope to post another 100 and would like to leave you all with a quote from my 1st post as it is still a strong reminder of why we are all here.
“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experiences.” Eleanor Roosevelt
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