One Month

Today officially marks one month of van living.  At some point last week, I felt like I really rounded a corner.  I’m not sure exactly when it happened, but sometime between when I was lost in the middle of a cow field (like literally in a farmer’s field fenced in amongst the cows) in West Virginia to being parked along the dunes of the beach on Ocracoke Island in the Outer Banks, North Carolina, I realized I’d gotten the hang of this.  

It hasn’t been easy.  There’s constantly figuring out to do, decisions to be made, directions that are hard to follow, trails that aren’t well marked, and scavenger hunts for water and places to sleep.  I’m constantly on my toes.  But, everyday there’s a moment when I reach the top of a hike, wake up early to see the sunrise, am gifted with a rainbow after a stormy afternoon, run down the beach into the sunset, or see the full moon rise up over the ocean, where I say to myself, “Wow, this is the best day ever.”  Everyday I find myself saying it, and then I say it again the next day.  I’ve strung together a month of the best days ever and I have to remind myself that I’m still on the East Coast.  Oh baby, I got a lot more good stuff ahead.  

Instead of worrying too much about where I’m going, I’ve started to have more faith in that wherever I end up is where I’m meant to be.  Last week, I pulled into the ferry parking lot just as one was about to depart and was told that there was a spot left if I wanted to get on.  I drove right on to that ferry with no hesitation and it wasn’t until we were cruising out of the harbor, did I realize that I hadn’t even checked to see if it was going to the place I was trying to get to.  What the heck, wherever it’s going, I guess that’s where I’m going.  I did, indeed, end up on the island I was intending, I’m pretty sure that ferry station only goes to one place, but, still, look how carefree and go with the flow I’ve become.

Besides all of the amazing scenery and adventuring, this trip has also allowed me a chance to reconnect with friends who are spread out in different places.  I’ve been lucky enough to be able to see friends at pretty much weekly intervals for much needed showers, laundry, social interaction, and a break from the road.  A highlight of these (COVID safe) visits has been being able to have my friends show me around, get a peek into what they’re doing, catch up, and reminisce.  I’m so grateful to everyone that has welcomed me and Churro in.  

So much has happened this month.  On this trip and in our country.  It’s definitely been an interesting and eye-opening time to be traveling.  The varying political signs in front of homes, in stores, on billboards and how they change from rural to urban areas, town to town, city to city, and state to state has been as attention grabbing as the most beautiful overlooks on scenic drives.  Though this weekend granted a sense of relief, it is more apparent than ever to me that there is so much work to be done.  Having lived my entire life in a very sheltered, privileged New England setting, I previously underestimated the vastness, the stark contrasts, and the opposing views throughout the country that have been made very distinct and obvious to me over the past month while driving even just around this small portion of it.

When it’s just me and Chur, I do a lot of thinking about life, what I’m seeing and what I’m doing. I’m not sure what my final destination is, or what I’m going to do when I get there.  I don’t know if I’m driving towards something or from something.  I constantly wonder how I fit into it all, and what role I can play in making the fragmented puzzle that is our country and society more whole.  I easily get lost in these thoughts and my mind starts wandering in circles like I was around the West Virginian farmland.  However, just as the callouses on my hands have begun to build up from the countless hours behind the wheel (I’m not kidding- I seriously have callouses from holding the steering wheel), so does my faith, trust, and hope that we’re headed in the right direction, which is sometimes all you can ask for.  I’m already on the ferry, wherever I end up is where I’m meant to be. 

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