Muskogee

It's All About the Mindset

​There’s a certain mindset one has to sink into and maintain when deciding to live in an RV full time for a year.
 
It takes a lot to get to the point where you’re pulling out of the driveway in your RV, and heading off into the great unknown.

By the time you’re there, you’ve acquired a mindset. You’ve had to, or you wouldn’t have made it happen.
 
There’s a ton of work and expense up front to get you into the RV and onto the road. More than I ever imagined going in. And beyond that work, once you get moving, it’s another kind of mindset.
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​You have to go with it, whatever happens, adapt to what life hands you, and be open minded. And be open to having your mind changed. Things will happen. Things you have to adapt to. Your plans will change. Constantly. And your mind will change about things.
 
Both my partner and I have adventurous spirits. Both my partner and I also want to find a home in a location where we want to stay for a good, long while. Put down roots. Plant a garden. Grow some food. Make medicine. Do some woodworking. Build some things. Big picture, what we’re ready to build is the next phase of our lives in a new location. What better way to do that than get in an RV and go exploring to find it, right? That’s ultimately why we’re out here on the road in our RV. Finding what’s next.
 
We had planned for a lot of things. We had our minds right about pretty much everything. We’ve been quick on our feet in all kinds of situations, and we’ve adapted. What we didn’t plan for? Global pandemic. Lockdown. We have to cut ourselves a little slack on that one. I mean, who does plan for global pandemic? Some people probably do, but we didn’t. At least not this year.
 
Living in an RV is an adventure. Not an extended vacation. It’s still life. Shit still happens. Things change.
 
So, after five weeks of quarantine near family in Mississippi, and assessing the situation during the early stages of lockdown, we determined that it was time to travel back to our home in the mountains of Southern California. Our mindset changed. Our direction changed. We sat still for a while and the momentum that was guiding us forward, changed. We decided to go home and regroup. Then later on, when it’s safe and responsible to travel again, we’ll head up the coast to the Pacific Northwest with the focused intention of finding home.
 
Good plan. Solid plan.
 
500 miles into our 2,000+ mile journey back to California, our RV Stella, dies on the side of Interstate 40.
 
Yeah. That happened.
 
I suppose it’s the adversity in life that makes for a good story. It builds character, teaches you things, makes you stronger. This is another example of how living in an RV is an adventure, not an extended vacation. This is part of it. It’s still life. Shit still happens.
 
We got her towed to a repair place and checked into a cheap hotel. A couple of days later, we picked her up and headed out on the road again. 20 miles down the road, she died ~ again. We got her towed back to the repair shop, and this time checked into a nicer, more comfortable hotel.
 
So, as our adventure continues, we find ourselves here, in Muskogee, Oklahoma. For how long? We have no idea. They’re trying to figure out the underlying electrical problem and what needs to be done to fix her. We have another 1,500+ miles to go to get home. They can’t just put a bandaid on the symptom. They have to find the problem and fix it right this time. We’re at the mercy of the mechanic. It’s out of our control, and at this moment, we have to do something quite difficult. We have to sit still and wait.
 
Being the adaptable creatures that we are, we’re making the best of this less than ideal situation. We’re enjoying the comforts of our hotel room, and adjusting our mindset once again.
 
Probably the biggest surprise in all of this is discovering how ready I am to get out of the RV. My partner’s been ready for weeks, but I haven’t. For me, it wasn’t the lockdown, or the breakdown, or even the second breakdown that did it. Ultimately, it was the creature comforts of the hotel room that changed my mindset. The comfy bed, the shower, the dishwasher, the ease of climate control, and the ease of, well, everything within the space of our hotel room changed the mindset that I’d had to acquire and maintain in order to live the RV lifestyle.
 
Reacquainting myself with creature comforts is what has ultimately made me realize how tired I am of living full time in an RV.

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