Don't sweat the little stuff....

First update, still in Elkhart. I've opted for some suspension upgrades to the Lily Pad that will help the handling. The parts will be here on Monday and I should be on my way by Wed or Thurs. Looking at the weather forecast I've once again changed my plans. Instead of heading to the Escapees park in Hollister, MO, I 'm going directly to the home park in Livingston, TX. Besides the weather there is also an Enterprise rental office within a couple of miles of the park. So once the rig is parked, I will rent a car and BoBo and I will speed northerly to South Dakota to visit my mail forwarding service, pick up my mail and get my drivers license, then back to Livingston for a couple of weeks. That gives me time to decide if I will stay there longer or head over towards the Hill Country for the month of December.

Now, back to the title subject. I follow many blogs (probably too many) but since most folks don't update every day, I manage to keep up (once again thank you to Google Reader which allows me to categorize the type of blog as well as quickly see which ones have updates to read). Today an online friend posting an interesting blog - What Ifs.... It really hit a nerve with me. Anyone who knows me, knows I am an inveterate planner and worrier. I remember telling my husband before we were married that he would never have to worry...that I did enough for both of us.

Over the last year I have gotten better at going with the flow......not letting the little stuff bother me. I truly believe that everything happens for a reason and sometimes that reason may not be apparent to us for quite some time. I've been working hard on trying to simplify my life, working towards a calmer existence where I can truly savor each day and the adventures they bring.

RVing is a huge step in that direction and the What Ifs.... blog got me thinking. I'm having a hard time NOT planning my itinerary, not planning my stops, not managing my life. Why? Why do I have to be so in control? Being a Type A personality is an identity I 'd like to shed but it looks like it will take some time, done in baby steps I think. People tend to see me as adventurous but I know that I'm really not....in my mind I wouldn't be doing all this planning if I were truly adventurous. I'd drive until I wanted to stop, then find a place to do just that. LOL! I worry about power, I worry about water, I worry about gas....yup, there's that word WORRY again.

I need to find a happy medium, get away from X miles a day to X stopping point and move towards a more relaxed pace, enjoying the sites along the way and stopping anytime I see something of interest. Reminds me of when I started my motorcycle trips. I was into day three and realized I hadn't taken a single photograph. While I was enjoying looking at the scenery, I wasn't recording it. Looking back I'm glad I finally started recording it because now, three years later, it all seems surreal until I review those photos. Then every site, every smell, every view, every experience comes flooding back.

In his blog, Michael talks about dreamers. I remember being more of a dreamer until the realities of life, family, responsibilities took precedence. Now I have time to dream again....I just have to let myself. Hopefully reading blogs like his, Ara's "The Oasis of My Soul" and a few others will help me make that transition.

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Froggi/Donna