Life Isn’t Meant for the Margins

Almost seven months full time, nearly 210 days. We’ve had 5 holidays, visited 5 states, 22 campgrounds, and covered 3,134 miles, all in 7 months. 

With every day that passes, I know we made the right decision. I knew it the morning after we had sold the house, at our first campground, and I know it now. Here are just a few examples:

• I actually have time for multiple daily phone calls with my girls now, especially for our youngest daughter during her college freshman year. Yes, those of you who are better than me might be shocked that that’s even an issue, but before, I would always be in a meeting or not have anything more to discuss than my meeting schedule or school. 
• The proportion of eating at home versus going out to dinner has tipped significantly in the right direction, returning eating out to the event it once was versus gathering frequent flyer miles at Zaxby’s and sending the cashier a Christmas card.
• I actually sleep now, almost a full 8 hours, every night. Waking up naturally at the same time everyday. No 6:30 a.m. meetings. No 2:30 a.m. brainstorming sessions in the kitchen because work thoughts keep jumping up and down on my pillow. Sweet, sweet sleep.
• I walk. Every day. Every. Single. Day. The dogs have gone from two quick trips around the backyard for a potty break to requiring a quarter mile warm up at a bare minimum. 
• Chris has taken up running again, which for those of you who know the trauma he suffered to his knees a few years ago when falling from a ladder, running again is a BIG deal, huge (sorry, I literally can’t say that word combination without quoting Pretty Woman — I must go shopping now!).
• I’m all caught up in school. With 3 classes left before my comprehensive exams and my dissertation, it’s about to get real. It’s nice to have the time to wallow in my thoughts a bit more.
• I’m easing back into creative work and writing through our videos, this blog, and other projects that I have waiting in the wings. Slowly, though, like the bath my mom used to draw for me when I was a kid. Apparently she said if the soap doesn’t kill the germs, this water ought to do the trick. You know those baths I’m talking about, where you hover over the water for a while, easing in centimeters at a time. 

At some point in time, down the road (see what I did there?), we will settle back down. But I’m in no hurry, neither is Chris. Right now, we’ve given ourselves the luxury of time — time together, time to ourselves, time to experience new places, meet new people (Chris has literally made a friend in EVERY campground we’ve gone to — it’s truly a gift). Our goal is to slow down, simplify, and savor — savor the moment, savor the experience, on the off chance that I cook something good, savor that too. 

It occurred to me the other day that Chris and I had gone from working to live to living life in the margins with the middle of the proverbial page DOMINATED by work. The Pilgrimage is about righting that balance, and we’re so honored to have the chance to do that and to share it with you.  

Jody