the practice of the better

The best criticism of the bad

is the practice of the better.

Just go ahead and do it better.

If you really believe in the values

you say you believe in,

then put them into practice.

- Fr. Richard Rohr

One page and then another

John Steinbeck said:

I pulled Rocinante into a small picnic area… and got out my book of maps. And suddenly the United States became huge beyond belief and impossible ever to cross. … It was like starting to write a novel. When I face the desolate impossibility of writing five hundred pages a sick sense of failure falls on me and I know I can never do it. This happens every time. Then gradually I write one page and then another. One day’s work is all I can permit myslf to contemplate… So it was now, as I looked at the bright-colored projection of monster America.

Travel days mess with the travel writing

This life on the road has been an adventure. A good adventure mostly. We often speak about how grateful we are for how well it is going. Before we started, we really had no clue if we would even like the vagabond life - which is why we chose to think about this as a time of exploration. It is also why we searched for an older relatively inexpensive RV. It seemed wise to try out the life before investing lots of money in travel equipment.

...

Of course, there were lots of factors to consider...


The small space
Would we be able to survive living in such small quarters? We seem to have adjusted quite well. Probably the most difficult thing is changing the sheets in such cramped quarters


A new place each month
What would it be like having a different address every month or so? Many aspects of that are rather enjoyable. We have discovered that a month is long enough to get a feel for a place and a sense of whether it could ever seem like home. But it is also short enough to not feel like a prison sentence if we really don't connect with the place. It has worked well to try out different areas. That experience can now inform our brainstorming and decision-making about future plans.


Our day-to-day schedule
There was some question about what hubby would do all day long - without a house to maintain, a farm to run or wood-working tools to build things. But his camera and his "photo lab" have facilitated many hours of photographic work. By the way, some of his photos have been published by BBC Travel in an article about the Dominican Republic. He also brought his piano and "recording studio" on this trip, so music has occupied many of his days. (His lab and studio are both contained within his computer.)

Finding something for me to do was of little concern because that never seems to be a problem. More often I have the opposite dilemma - not being able to keep up with all of the projects I want to do. As long as I have a writing notebook, a few books to read, my computer and decent internet access, I can carry on with most of my normal work. My relationship connections around the world and my writing all work fairly well from the road - as long as the internet can keep me connected. What we suspected has turned out to be true; I have no problem finding things to do. And sure enough, I am usually working on more projects that I can possibly keep up with.


Writing projects
For example, I have grand ideas of writing awesome riveting stories about the people and places and cultures we encounter in our travels that will grab an audience of people who can't wait to read the next piece. Of course I planned to post them with consistent regularity. Yah, right. Instead I seem to write mildly interesting posts with sporadic frequency. I'm pleased with much of what I write, but I get discouraged about all that I don't get written. I often feel like these places are slipping by my window and I just can't capture them all. Certainly the best time to write about a place is while I'm living there, but I just can't seem to get 'er done. So then I fear that I will lose it. Lose the memory, lose the moment, lose the beauty of the setting or the fun of the story. And then I feel sad.

At those moments of sadness or discouragement, I sometimes remind myself that John Steinbeck didn't write a single word of his classic Travels with Charley while on the road. Nope. He traveled the country on that epic journey without even beginning to write the story. It was all written after the fact. After the trip had ended. Well, that's a relief! If Steinbeck can do it, maybe I can do it. Of course, I am now already a couple epic journeys behind.


Travel days set me back
I feel pretty good about my writing schedule - WHEN we are in camp. But on travel days... Oh, those travel days and travel weeks - like this past week. They really sabotage my schedule. Funny how travel days mess with the travel writing.


Another journey behind us
And so here we are. Back in Michigan after another epic journey through eighteen states. Places that I want to write about, but have only begun. It seems that I am destined to be behind schedule. All the time. Nothing new about that.

Sure enough; life on the road is pretty much like life anywhere I've ever lived - in that I always bite off more than I can chew. And I am always trying to keep up.

So I keep writing. I keep trying to recall and capture at least some of those moments and some of those glorious scenes. Like scary mountain roads. Like wandering through the stacks at Bart's Books, the world-famous outdoor bookstore in Ojai, California. Like breath-taking moments along the Alaska Highway. Like the interesting people we meet along the way. Like the beach that hosted both sunrise and sunset. Oh, so much to write about. I have barely scratched the surface.

And, on those travel days... Well, I just shouldn't expect to do much writing on travel days. That's just the way it goes. And I guess that's okay.

Travels with Steinbeck

John Steinbeck's Travels with Charley has been an inspiration to us in our own travels. A couple days ago we were able to visit the area where Steinbeck grew up and which became the backdrop for much of his writing.


Read some of my thoughts on that visit on the travel blog.

No use for adventures!

"I am looking for someone to share in an adventure that I am arranging, and it's very difficult to find anyone."

"I should think so - in these parts! We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner!"

- J.R.R. Tolkien

How could the end be happy?

Frodo:  I can't do this, Sam.

Sam:  I know. It's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here. But we are. It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something.
 
Frodo:  What are we holding onto, Sam?
 
Sam:  That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo... and it's worth fighting for.
 

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Two Towers

...

My friend is in the middle of the story - where it's all wrong.  Full of darkness and danger.  Wondering how the end could be happy when so much bad has happened.

That particular part of my story has passed. That dark and dangerous part.  That shadow.  Sure enough; even darkness must pass.  A new day has come.  The sun shines out the clearer.

I want to encourage my friend to hold on, but I do not want to be insensitive to the danger and the fear.  May I always remember enough of the dark parts of the story to be a good friend.

...

How about you?  Where are you in your story?  Is it still dark and dangerous or has the sun begun to shine again?  Are you able to remember the great stories - the ones that really matter - and to see that you might be in the middle of one?  Can you find something - anything - to hold on to?

Redbud trees will help

One year ago we moved out of our house. The house we built when we were newlywed youngsters and lived in for 40 years. The house where our kids grew up. And some other people’s kids. And a whole bunch of foster kids. The house that at least 45 people have called home. The house with the biggest kitchen in the county where we served meals for dozens of people at a time. The house where our kids brought their friends home – from school, from church, from college. Then their friends brought friends who brought more friends…

It was home. It was our home, but it was also a place to share and a place to be healed. Not only the house, but the property with its forts and log cabins and climbing trees and campfires, has been affectionately dubbed Rivendell by some who made their way here when they desperately “needed to get underground.”

…

RIVENDELL

“That house was a perfect house,

whether you like food or sleep or storytelling or singing,

or just sitting and thinking,
or a pleasant mixture of them all.

Merely to be there was a cure
for weariness, fear and sadness.”

-J.R.R. Tolkien

…

When we started talking about moving out, we wondered how we would cope with the loss. Surely we could survive somewhere else, but would we be able to thrive? It wasn’t hard to imagine some of the things we would miss the most - certainly the solitude and beauty of this place as well as the secret doors and passageways and other personal touches built into the very structure of the house and carved into the site plan of the property. There were the evergreen trees we had planted – thousands of them – and the apple trees, and the flowering redbud trees. There was my husband’s rose garden and the waterfall he built. There was the sun garden on the hill built for me with love by my gardener sister after my cancer diagnosis. There were lilac bushes and a magnolia that were birthday gifts and there were the trails - miles and miles of trails. What a lot of beauty to leave behind.

And don't forget the winter scenes. Oh, how stunning and spectacular - and oh, how cold. Now THERE is something we didn’t mind leaving behind.

We talked about what we would need for a “sense of home” somewhere else. We thought of certain things that could maybe help us feel at home. Sure enough, throughout this first year away from that house, we’ve discovered lots of things that have helped – from my cherished wind chimes to a handmade cabinet, to a unique piece of pottery, to a certain cute little basket, to a favorite plate and matching coffee mug, to a comfy old shirt or cozy warm blanket. We have a couple small bookshelves filled with our top titles and authors and we have our favorite music downloaded on our computers. We also have the priceless stack of photo album yearbooks chock full of memories. We have hearts full of gratitude - AND we have each other.

…

It was a momentous move – and I am happy to report that we have found a sense of home – first in the teeny, tiny little bunkhouse and the old worn-out travel trailer where we camped the first few months, then at The Cove in a small fishing village on a tropical island, and now in the quaint little historical log cabin at the front of the Christmas tree farm.

We have noticed some things about ourselves and our surroundings. We have observed that beauty is one thing that helps us feel content – beauty in nature, obviously, as well as in art and music, but also in people, in culture, in relationships. Our lives have been enriched with so much beauty.

One year later, on this anniversary, I feel much more confident – because I now know that there are lots of places out there, just waiting for us – places where we can find a sense of home. There are beautiful people all over the place. And there are flowers and trees. Yep, there are palm trees and pine trees. And there are flowering redbud trees. Sure enough, there is a redbud tree just outside my window, this window by my writing spot in this new place, this place where I now feel at home. Yes, redbud trees will help.

We feel at home here - for the moment – but we look forward to more new places as soon as we can get out there. I know there are flowers and trees of all kinds - even redbud and magnolia - other places in the world. We look forward to finding other places of beauty, to meeting more beautiful people and fascinating cultures. Most of all we look forward to being together – for as long as possible – because our companionship is the biggest and best reason for feeling at home.

This first year since the big move has been amazingly wonderful.

I can only imagine the beauty waiting for us in the next year.

...and the next.

Runaway Truck Ramp - Book recommendation

I don't remember exactly how or when I was introduced to Shawn Smucker's blog, but I do remember getting excited when he started telling about a big adventure they were preparing for. He and his wife, Maile, and their four kids were setting out in a big blue bus that would be their home for the next four months. He shared many of the exciting tidbits of their preparation and departure on the blog as well as updates along the journey.

My fascination was amplified by the fact that we were trying to get free to head out on our very own adventure. Interestingly enough, it turned out that we did actually get to pull up stakes, vacate our own house and begin our journey during the same time frame as their trip. I was teased and prodded and encouraged and entertained and sometimes comforted by the experiences they were having. My husband and I learned a lot for our own adventure. When the brakes went out on the big bus as they were coming down the mountain, you'd better believe I was on the edge of my seat!

...

A few months later, their book was released - How to Use a Runaway Truck Ramp - and Other Tales from Our 10,000-mile Adventure. I had to have my own copy because these guys seemed like family by then. Again the timing was cool because I was able to take the book with me when we went overseas for the winter. How fun to read the chronicles of their adventure while in the midst of our own.

Both Shawn and Maile wrote from their individual perspectives and they included lots of great adventure quotes - all of which gave the book a rich and fascinating texture.

...

"Dreams, if they're any good, are always a little bit crazy."
- Ray Charles

"...if the level of 'crazy' determines the worth of a dream, we would soon discover that ours was pure gold."
- Maile Smucker

"Because no matter how exciting an adventure may sound during its conception, as soon as preparation begins in earnest, you realize why people are so in love with the idea of adventures and yet so rarely embark upon them."
- Shawn Smucker

...

"I started to lose it.
...
"What on earth have I gotten myself into? I believe I signed up for the adventure with children cuddling in the corners of their bunks reading books while I sat contentedly on the couch tapping my computer's keyboard in a writer's euphoria. I want a refund.
...
"There is something about 'doing what you always dreamed of' that candy-coats everything. Talk about rose-colored glasses... but then your youngest son elbows you in the face during a tantrum, knocking those lenses clean off your face, putting you face-to-face with reality: nothing, not even your dream coming true, is perfect.
...
"I hate McDonald's... But I love McDonald's indoor play land... For two sweet hours, my kids ran their little hearts out, climbing those bright blue and red tubes like a hoard of spider monkeys. And I sat cozy at a corner table tapping the keyboard in a writer's euphoria... at last."
- Maile Smucker

"You know... That's the thing about adventures. The stuff that happens isn't always easy. It's not always fun. But it's always worth telling."
- Maile

"...how could I have missed that? She was right, of course. Adventures are only adventures when it's possible for things to go horribly wrong."
- Shawn

"Now more than ever do I realize that I will never be content with a sedentary life, that I will always be haunted by thoughts of a sun-drenched elsewhere."
- Isabelle Eberhardt

"Everybody has to leave, everybody has to leave their home and come back so they can love it again for all new reasons."
- Donald Miller

"Comfort is a funny thing. We aim for it. We strive for it. We work hard to attain it. So much of what we do in life is centered around becoming comfortable... But comfort brings new problems... In the end, comfort makes us rigid and inflexible in our thinking."
- Shawn

"There is that moment in time when you know everything is about to go horribly wrong...."
- Shawn

...

"Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent in the ideas of living."
- Miriam Beard

"Thankfully, there are other means with which to measure a life. Ones less arbitrary than the numbers on a bank statement."
- Shawn

...

"Don't adventures ever have an end? I suppose not. Someone else always has to carry on the story."
- J.R.R. Tolkien

"So, carry on our story. Take an adventure."
- Shawn & Maile Smucker

...

I highly recommend this book. I am much more adventurous for having followed them along their journey. I am very excited to announce that the Kindle version is free today and tomorrow!

to go, to move, to get under way...

Not sure that I ever expected this to be true of me, but yah, I get it - and not only for me, but I see it & hear it from others as well.

“I saw in their eyes something I was to see over and over in every part of the nation- a burning desire to go, to move, to get under way, anyplace, away from any Here. They spoke quietly of how they wanted to go someday, to move about, free and unanchored, not toward something but away from something. I saw this look and heard this yearning everywhere in every state I visited. Nearly every American hungers to move.”

― John Steinbeck

Quotable quotes encountered during the month of June

6-1-11 

There are only two ways to live your life. 

 One is as though nothing is a miracle. 

 The other is as though everything is a miracle. 

- Einstein 

6-5-11 

Jesus taught us that we must be ever willing to die for our faith, but never willing to kill for our faith. 

- Tim Kuepfer 

 6-8-11 

"You have to do your own growing no matter how tall your grandfather was" 

 - Abe Lincoln "

Leadership is overpowering. Influence is empowering." 

 - Tim Elmore 

6-10-11 

We try not to over-schedule our lives with stuff that pulls us in different directions — which means church activities... aren’t always a priority... It’s not because we dislike our church. It’s because we believe the Kingdom of God is bigger than our church. 

- Jason Boyett 

6-12-11 

Peace, unsurprisingly, is not welcome by those whose politics depend on division and hatred. 

- Yameen Rasheed, RE: Palestinian human rights, but could apply in many contexts 

6-23-11 

"When you realized that you will not always fit in, that is when you can really be yourself" 

- Josiah Create Hope Potter

 

6-29-11 

There is a time to lay quietly and a time to thrash about. There’s a time to honor the church and there’s a time to warn the church. 

- Scot McKnight 

Organized religiosity has failed. Institutional church is dead as an effective means for representing God to the emerging scene. 

- Rubel Shelly, I knew Jesus before he was a Christian & I liked him better then

Grace ...for good days & bad

My worst days are never so bad

that I'm beyond the reach of God's grace. 

And my best days are never so good

that I'm beyond the need for God's grace. 

 -Unknown