Today is windy and wet but except for the occasional rattle of the kitchen vent you'd never know it sitting here snug and warm in our motorized home.
Living on wheels has it's benefits. You can run away from bad weather, something we seem to have been doing all year. Everywhere we go the cold and wet seems to follow us. I'm pretty sure it is me since when I flew to Pennsylvania this fall we got freezing rain.
Another nice thing about having wheels is that if you don't like your current location, view, or even neighbors you can turn the key and change them.
And of course, you get to see many new things when you're rolling about.
All of these are benefits of having a mobile lifestyle but as free as you seem you are still tethered by real life.
It seems like living the nomadic lifestyle would be freeing and in some ways it is but you still have the same issues and responsibilities as you had living in a 'sticks and bricks' home. You have bills to pay, laundry to wash, maintenance to do and jobs. Yes, jobs.
I may be an independent author but I still have to work. It takes hours, even at the rate I write, to get a book out. Some hours fly by and the muse sings to me while others I trudge through what feels like cold molasses to find the happily ever after at the end. I love the work and hope to never have to stop but the vagaries of the business are just over my shoulder at all times.
Books, even ones that people love, go through runs. This means that while sales are good one month other months are traditionally not so great. I'm still learning how to maximize the good and manage the bad. It's all a bit of a roller coaster ride. This all means that when unexpected issues arise, like illness for instance, even the flu can put a stop to your rolling on. Yes I seem to be coming down with it.
Our move from the little camper to the bigger Class A RV gives us many benefits but it also comes with some limitations, or delays. To begin, we are warmer and more stable. On a day like today in the little camper you would both hear and feel the wind as it buffeted and rocked you with each gust. Today, the wind is not even noticeable though it's making the tree tops do a lively dance.
A draw back, however, is that we have to get the RV ready for long term travel and living. The little camper was outfitted with solar and updated batteries so that boondocking was possible for an extended time. As long as we had water and the holding tanks weren't full we could stay off grid.
The RV is soon to be fitted out the same way as the other half of this rolling and writing team gets that all set up.
With the little camper we hooked it up to the truck when we were ready to roll and headed out onto the open road. With a thrity-six foot camper you don't simply drive through town stopping to see all the amazing things on offer, this means that in conjunction with the wheels you live on you need a few extra to get around with. After purchasing the RV we also purchased a Jeep Cherokee to
tow behind it. Sounds easy right? No, it is complicated. We have to get a tow bar and all of the connections supplied. Once again the other half of this team is working on all of that. Now add in the crazy of Christmas and life is wonderfully insane, stressful, and a bit expensive.
Don't get me wrong here, I'm not complaining or regretting our decision I just want you to understand that a change of lifestyles like this still has strings. We can't do everything and we can't have everything we want all the time because that is real life. At the heart of it all I believe that change was exactly what we needed to do and that even with the ups, downs, and disappointments. There is glory to behold in this country and people to meet who will bless your soul.
In the everyday aspects of things I'll just keep holding to the promises in my heart and keep writing. Tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet, and hopefully no rain because it's pouring buckets, I am renewed day by day.
