This new journey has been amazing and yet has been overwhelming in some ways. To begin, it is almost surreal to not be returning to work this year. I’ve been working since I was seventeen and teaching for over fifteen years and to not be getting up and going off to work each morning feels odd. I am still working in another way; writing.
I love writing. It is a passion and my heart is deeply invested in it, however, adapting to writing on the road is taking some time especially since we’ve been racing the weather to get to Yellowstone National Park. Today we are getting closer as we cross Wyoming headed for the Tetons for the weekend.
Traveling across the United States has been remarkable in so many ways. I have written many of my books set in Wyoming and did extensive research on the history, land, and topography of the state, but seeing it with my own eyes is completely different, and overwhelming.
The first night we camped in Wyoming we stayed in the Vedawoo recreation area I was quiet emotional looking at the glory and the beauty that God has created. The experience was deeply touching and made me miss my family and loved ones who are now many states away. How I wished they could have seen these spaces and experienced them as I was.
On top of all of the changes, adaptation, and learning processes of life on the road, I can feel a sense of decompression of my soul. Over the past few years my family and I have suffered some truly devastating losses with the death of my oldest sister and father. As I gaze on these new landscapes and vistas, I can’t’ help but think of how much they would have loved this adventure.
Still, even with the awe and splendor of this journey there are trials. Part of me will always feel a little guilty that I have simply unplugged from work and life’s responsibilities and taken this journey. I will always wish that I was still with family and that I can make everything in their life smooth and easy, and yet everything came together at just the right time for this to be the year that we became gypsies.