Our RV Journey - Summer Trip - Day 1

We are campers and travelers - I guess you'd say a part time family on the road. The past few years we have stayed at a campground near our extended family and enjoyed spending time with the grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Each year over the past 3 years we have increased the length of our trip. In 2013, we stayed for a month, which was a leap of faith then for us. It was a success! The following year in 2014, we stayed for 6 weeks. Another success. This year, we are staying for 3 1/2 months  - another leap. We arrived at our destination this morning safely. We unpacked and settled in pretty quickly.

I continue to streamline our possessions at home. Prior to this trip was the longest I've had to prepare the house. I went through a lot of our belongings and purged! How does a family accumulate so much? We donated a lot, sold some and a lot of papers made it into the trash! I recycle, bless others with our gently used stuff and re-purpose as much as I can. It was a big clean out and I'll have a more simple and tidy home to return to, for that I am grateful.

I'm always looking for creative ways to maximize our space. I'm concerned I've overpacked, even though I've been mindful of this issue. My hope is to post about our journey.

~ Happy Camper

Savoring Good Reads

I love to read a good book. Lately I realize that I have been digesting good books and collecting books. I take a step back and recognize that I am on information overload but unsure or haven’t processed the issue enough yet to develop a response….make that a healthy response. My time is precious and I don’t want to waste it. I have a long list of books I want to read. I want to take it slow and absorb them. My favorite books are ones that: I learn from, I develop a change in my thinking, I develop an action plan or better yet, take action after reading the book or ones that bring about strong emotions. In the past, I have written summaries on books and even posted them on this blog. I have a Kindle now and it’s pretty new to me, so I’m still learning with it. I have used the highlighting feature and have gone back to read my notes or clippings. That can be a handy feature. I want to minimize the amount of books I have in the house and hold on to and savor the good ones. 

Thinking of Love

Just wanted to share this little poem with you. Maybe you’ve heard it before, if so,  it’s worth a second  read.

If I had my child to raise all over again,

I’d finger-paint more and point the finger less

I would do less correcting and more connecting

I would take my eyes off my watch, and watch my eyes

I would care to know less and know to care more

I would take more hikes and fly more kites

I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play

I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars

I would do more hugging and less tugging

I'd build self-esteem first, and the house later

I would be firm less often, and affirm much more

I'd teach less about the love of power, and more about the power of love.

~Diane Leomans

In the poem she talks about raising her children and her relationship with her children. Isn’t it true of all relationships though? Try and reread it thinking of your husband or wife….brother or sister…it still applies: have more fun, play more, laugh more, point the finger less and build each other up. In a world with more and more distractions, it’s so important to remember to put the distractions down and engage, really connect with one another.

When reading the poem again, I thought over the past few weeks.  A few weeks ago….I had tripped and fell in front of my daughter, when it occurred I realized the week before, I had tripped and fell almost flat on my face in front of both of my kids! I was a little embarrassed. I don’t ever remember falling in front of my kids before! Then I thought about it. The day I fell flat on my face in front of both my kids….we were walking on the beach and got into a game of tag. I was running so hard as one of the kids was chasing me – I didn’t want to get caught! Well I ran onto some deep wet sand without realizing it, my foot sank deep and I went down – almost flat on my face in the sand!

The next week I was running in the woods with my daughter. We were playing, spending time together and getting the boys for dinner as it was beginning to get dark. Well I tripped over a deep, strong root and I went flying….landing right on my butt! My daughter laughed and I was really surprised. Later at dinner, she told me a lot of the kids trip right where I did, right over that root. I laughed then too.

Putting things in perspective, I realized who cares if I fall down? I didn’t get hurt.  I am out there laughing, playing with my kids, engaged and connected with them, having fun. I’ll fall down every week if I have too….it’s worth it.  =)

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"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom." - Marcel Proust

"Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough."
-- Oprah Winfrey