I’ve been on the road just under two months now. It was quite daunting at first, but now, I’ve become comfortable with the van lifestyle. And it IS a lifestyle. I live a tiny life, leaving a tiny footprint. I have my routines, like prepping coffee in my little percolator before I go to bed at night, walking Cosmo each morning, driving to my next stop and spending some time each day planning where I’ll go the next day and which route I’ll take to get there.
And yet, every day is different from the previous one. I love to boondock in beautiful spots, find BLM land or National Parks and Forests where I can stay for free and just kick back and take in the beauty. Some days that just doesn’t pan out. Either I can’t find accessible spots, or I get there and there is a sign that says “No Dogs Allowed” or I find a beautiful, cheap campground and arrive only to find that they are totally full.
And so, I always have a back up plan. That often includes a Walmart or Cracker Barrel parking lot. The first time I spent the night in a Walmart parking lot, I felt very down. It felt like a compromise at best and a failure at worst. But last night I stayed at a Walmart in Evanston, WY. It was totally crazy with big rigs coming and going, RV’s parking every which way, and locals in their big pick up trucks flying through the parking lot with zero regard to lane arrows, or even lanes! They often cut through parking spaces, or sped in between a tractor trailer and an RV. A month ago, these things bothered me. Now, I am oblivious. I’m home, in my tiny van, figuring out where to go tomorrow, or watching a movie on my laptop. I watch whatever is going on around me, and do my best to take it all in, withough judgment and appreciate it.
I recently read a quote by Tom Robbins from his book Stil Life With Woodpecker:
“You’re better equipped for this world than I am,” she said. “I’m always trying to change the world. You know how to live in it.”
Ah! Isn’t that the goal? To learn to live in this world, and love it and enjoy it exactly as it is. I remind myself daily that I don’t have to fix anything. Life is perfect just as it is. The WORLD is perfect just as it is. (OK, maybe it needs just a LITTLE editing.)
So I let go of the things that could annoy me and take in the glorious sunrise, even if it is from a Walmart parking lot.