Wondering about the plan

Thinking about driving across the country this summer/fall and wondering at the audacity of the plan. There is a war on; a recession is impacting hundreds of thousands of people around the world; people struggle to survive and we are planning to take three months (more or less) to see the country. I could say, “well we’ve saved for it…”, “it’s the only time we have done this..”, “We deserve it after years of work…”, and on and on. All blather. In reality, it is just an opportunity that opens itself to us and we are going to take it. Where it leads to we don’t know, either during the trip or when we get home. We are collecting all manner of material about the states we will travel through… and not making any plans about when we will be in any particular spot or what we will do. That in itself is unlike us. Giving ourselves the opportunity to wake up each morning and 1) figure out where we are in space, 2) figure if we want to move or stay still, and 3) decide what the next minute will look like. We’ll have toys to play with… drawing and painting supplies, cameras, computers, reading, etc. and time to indulge. I’ve been reading web sites about the ‘frugal RVer’. Sounds like there are a lot of options for very low cost camping and living if we get busy and find them along the way. This is not a Conestoga wagon trip however. We will be fully outfitted with computers for music, communication, blogging, etc. There is internal plumbing – shower and toilet – cooking and sleeping place. So creature comforts will be handled. Our bikes will be somewhere in or on the RV. So on to my hopes and dreams for the trip…
• That we get a sense of this vast country of ours;
• That we meet people along the way who love the land in which they live and point us to places and communities which open us to new thinking and understanding;
• That we are able to listen to the places we visit and learn and grow in ways we can’t now imagine;
• That we eat food which is simple and tied to the places we pass through;
• That we hear the howls in the Badlands at night, are overwhelmed by the beauty of the prairie lands; are humbled by the size and scope of the mountains; and that we are changed/deepened as people passing through.
• That the scope and breadth of our nation, its history, its people, and its soul is a little more clear to us.
It is a privilege to be able to take this time to travel. It may be the only time we can do it slowly and with intentionality. Being present where we are, seeing, listening, learning, rejoicing in the time and opportunity. That is the direction and the hope, and of course, having fun as we go!
I’m getting eager to begin. August 12 seems so far away but also so close in time. Daryle retires at the end of this week, we have lots to do around the house to get it ready for a house sitter and our absence, and of course, I am looking forward to a couple of drawing classes this summer, to biking with my sister after she comes to Maine, and to a canoe trip in early August. Life is truly full of opportunity for joy!
On another note, last night we went to see a film about the life of Howard Zinn, the historian and activist. The movie, “You can’t be neutral on a moving train” was beautifully done, documenting one of the outstanding thinkers in our times. One lasting impression from the film was his joy and optimism in life, his courage to speak, and his deep sense of caring. This while he was so involved in raising the hard questions of his times. Courage was big in his life… just one example: after not being tenured at Spellman College because of his activism, he went on to teach at BU. On the day when the Trustees of BU were set to vote on his tenure there, he was asked by the students to be the only speaker at a rally, outside the Trustees Meeting, to challenge the status quo of the University… and he said ‘yes’. He thrived on teaching, on leading, on inspiring, and on sharing. One book which we will take on our journey will be his book, A People’s History of the United States.