Take Time for Yourself

I recently embarked on a journey across the country to rid myself of years of built-up bad energy and stress. I am 48 years old and took this journey with just me, my dog, and my camper. I was trying to find something or perhaps lose something along the way. Maybe I did both. Over 15 states and 17 National Parks, I immersed myself in nature. I tried to avoid cities and crowds, though it wasn't always possible. Fortunately, I only encountered a few instances where I couldn't avoid the crowd.

Having my dog with me tended to keep most people away, which I liked. I did meet some pretty cool people along the way when I was at campgrounds.

Me and my dog Scout

Here are some key lessons I learned about myself during this journey:

1. I am not lonely when I am alone. I like the silence, and it is a great time to think about me. Who I am and what I want. I often think about that one simple question "Who am I?" and have come up with lots of different answers. I thought about it a lot on this trip.

   
   

   

   Always remember that you are not as big as you think you are. See things in the perspective that they are in. we are tiny in comparison to the rest of the world.

   
   

2. My limits are hard to reach. When I entered my 40s, I suddenly developed a fear of heights. I’m not sure why it happened, but it did. Perhaps my brain was warning my body about the dangers of heights. On this trip, I pushed that fear to its limits. I drove on roads thousands of feet high without guard rails, sometimes in pouring rain or blizzards where visibility was less than 20 feet. All this while pulling my camper. The fear and anxiety were intense, but the adrenaline kept me going.

   
   

   

   Mother nature will always provide.

   
   

3. I can do anything when I want to. Most people can they just don't know it. I have always known this about me, but I also tend to take the easy way out of things by having someone else do whatever it is for me. When you are on your own there is no one else to do it for you. I had never really been able to back a trailer up before and could do it ok if someone else told me which direction to turn my steering wheel in order to back it up. when you pull a camper and you are by yourself, you have to back your own camper up. I struggled the first couple of times, but I got better at it. I am not saying I am great now, but I have more confidence and am much more comfortable doing it. This is something I am pretty proud of!

   
   

   

   Hug a tree, It just feels good. Trees have great energy!

There were times I ran into people that asked me if I was traveling with anyone, which my answer was obviously, just my dog, that always said it is too dangerous for a woman to travel alone, and I should carry a gun. I do have a gun with me while I sleep but for the most part, I just stay aware of my surroundings and am careful of where I stay and go. I try not to think about the what-ifs and focus on the now and what is. If you are always thinking about "what if something bad happens" then you will never enjoy yourself.

Find your happy place!

Live your life in the present, here and now, and you will enjoy everything much more. If there is something you have always wanted to do, you should do it. Go take that trip or plant a garden, do whatever it is you want to do. you have this one life to make it happen. Don't spend it on the what-ifs and could haves or should have done something. Do it and don't regret it! Simply enjoy it!

Watch the sun rise, it is magical!