Adding to our Pin Collection with Reflections...
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| First row on 2014 almost complete! |
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| Last of our travels in 2013... |
In our travels the last "half' of 2013 we collected pins from the following:
- The Nez Pierce Historic Trail
- Big Hole National Battlefield, just across the border from Clarkston, WA
- Lewis and Clark Trail (which we have been on in several areas of our journeys!)
- Hells Canyon National Recreation Area (we did not take the jet tour but did drive the jeep down along side the river to the start of the canyon!)
- Walla Walla Washington
- The Whitman Mission National Historic Site, Walla Walla, WA
- Hagerman Fossil Beds, Idaho
- Minidoka National Historic Site (Japanese Internment Camp), Hagerman, Idaho
- Route 66, Arizona and New Mexico
- Queen Creek Olive Mill, Gilbert, Arizona
If you clicked on the link to our first posting on pins, March 24, 2013, then on the 2nd pin posting, June 13, 2013, you'll see a huge difference. Our board is almost three quarters full, in almost five years of travels! In 2012 there are four rows (we traveled east that year!), 2010 has two rows, 2011 has three...stay tuned to what 2014 will reveal!
Our travels are more than pins, however. They do "mark" the location and bring back memories of that time there. We have found that spending time in our house on wheels is much more than pins on a cork board. Lindy found this graphic in betterRVing.com, Summer 2013, "Facts -- RVing to Happiness".
We liked what it says:
Happiness is not about eliminating bad moods or maintaining a cheery facade. Instead, it is about contentment, living with grace, lifelong learning and feeling satisfied.
We are content.Living with grace is a beautiful sentiment, one worthy of achievement. We continue to learn, and we love to share that learning! We are satisfied.
Lindy wrote some reflections on our first anniversary of full timing, July 1, 2011. Here it is, as she wrote it then, for it does shed some light on this subject:
July 1st marked our first full year full timing. We've not thought about the coincidence of it being so close to Independence Day, but perhaps it is appropriate! Last year, it just was. Closing on the house was the 29th of June, and we picked up our check on the 30th. We didn't plan it, that date just happened. Our house sold effortlessly, through word of mouth, and closing needed to occur by the end of June. It did. We were out.
What have we learned?
- Listen....
- Watch...
- LAUGH!
- Plan...
- Throw the plan out...
- Make a new plan...
- Throw that out...
- Go back to the first plan....
- Stop making plans....
- Losing something/someone you love hurts the same
- Weight loss is important--humans, animals, and the "house"
No different than living in a sticks and bricks house! We continue living almost the same way we always have, with the exception of acquiring stuff (that weight loss thing!). We don't need a lot of stuff and we don't have much room to tote stuff. Bad weather takes away the sitting room so need to take an extra dose of patience during rainy/stormy spells. Good weather presents lots of opportunities for doing--take advantage of these opportunities before they are gone.
We shall never "be there" for there is not a destination--rather a journey; about contentment, living with grace, and lifelong learning and feeling satisfied. That we are.
At the bottom of the board we have this. We picked it up in Charleston, Oregon. The object is a compass
rose, and the little poem we feel defines our full-time journey.
Life is a Journey
Each day is a journey
We take one step at a time
With friends to support us
On each challenge as we climb
Whatever direction we go
And no matter what comes our way
May our journey through life
Bring us happiness each day
We love seeing old friends, and we meet many new ones in our travels. Our lives are richer for this. We are looking forward to this year, and many years beyond!
Later!
Roving Riders, soon to be SWIRVIN on down the road!
Email from a friend:
ReplyDeleteLoved it! Your list of what you learned in your first year of RVing says a lot about life in general--particularly the parts about making plans. It's always been important to me to have "plans"--whether it's grocery lists, to-do lists, errand lists (often written down in the order I need to do them so I save backtracking), vacation plans (well, I was a travel agent!) etc. etc. This past year has given me lots of practice in throwing plans out! I do love having things to look forward to, though, whether it's having friends over for dinner or going to Florida. Having to change my "plans" several times hasn't been easy, but I keep reminding myself to "live in the moment" and be grateful for "what is" instead of wishing for something else. Your reflections in the blog sum it up beautifully. Now if I could just nail down that "losing weight" thing--both personally and inside the sticks and bricks!
Thanks, Ruth, for permission to post your comment!