Today continued to be a day. As y’all know, our beloved truck, Beast, had a bit of a problem yesterday (full story). It resulted in a very interesting tow, a stay at an unexpected campground, and more than a few ugly tears.
I’m human. It happens.
Today, the repair shop called.
You notice the ominous pause there, right?
Not only was the estimate more than my heart and checkbook could bear, it added on suggested maintenance, and the apology that the necessary part to even begin the repair (because it has to be replaced prior to further testing) is on backorder.
An estimated fifteen days stranded in a campground we can’t afford, away from town with its luxury of grocery stores, and out of range of the local taxi services.
Oh yeah.
A DAY.
Now, I could have broken down. In fact I did. More than once. But that can’t be my landing spot. So in between the updates and the tears and the feelings of being overwhelmed, we chose joy.
And an impromptu pedicure.
My wonderful, back home diesel mechanic is calling the local shop in the morning for clarification of what needs to be done immediately, what can wait a bit, and to discuss the possibility of aftermarket parts to get around the backorder.
More joy.
We did school. We pulled out the scooters and the spray bottles. We embraced the joy.
Just before dark, my oldest girl and I went for a walk to cry together a little.
Hormones and all that. Ladies, you’ll appreciate the timing of all of this.
We found the river.
The trees on the embankments stood like sentinels to our emotional vulnerability.
The air was fresh. Deep breaths in to lighten our hearts.
The water was cool. Slow exhales out to cleanse our souls.
We let our minds wander, free to feel all the things.
It is amazing how much weight we hold from the things that happen to us and around us. Every time something new has happened this year, a little more weight gets added to your chest. Some people say it is both a test and a testament of faith.
Holding hands, ankle deep in water, we let our tears gently flow.
There is nothing like releasing your sorrow into swiftly moving water.
It didn’t solve anything. The bills are still looming. The uncertainty is still there.
But we felt better. Lighter. More grounded.
We still choose joy. We still believe in the good and the beautiful. We still believe humanity wins.
And that is why it is with humble hearts that we have added donation buttons to our website. We need a bit of help right now to cover our lodging and repair costs.
If you feel so moved, the donation button is on the right sidebar of your computer screen or the bottom of the page if you are on your phone. Anything is appreciated and gets us closer to no longer being stranded.
If you only have words of encouragement, we appreciate those as well. We are firm believers that words have power. Words of hope are all the more powerful.
I thank all of you who have followed us along on our adventures. I hope, very soon that we will be on the road again making even more. If you are wondering why we’re on the road full time or how in the world we got here, you find the beginning of our story HERE. It has been quite a ride.
