Puzzles: your life is one….
Your life is a puzzle and every experience is another piece in it. Sometimes we choose pieces that don’t fit right and we need to take them out and try another. We certainly look at the picture on the box as a guide. And even then, the pieces don’t look right until they are in place. The box gives us clarity on how the picture will look when it is done. But, with life, we don’t get to see that picture until we are on the other side. Clarity of your life goals helps you to create the outcome of that picture. It is one of the keys to living the life you want!
I look back on the last couple years of our life and it looks like we are a couple of crazies trying to find ourselves. So much has happened in the course of this last year. And of course, decisions that were made greatly impacted our lives so much. Like buying a motorhome, touring the U.S. and parts of Canada, living in the motorhome for one year, living back in our home, then deciding to buy another home and move across the country again back to where we started out originally! Sharing our story is what we do. And sharing our story of WHY we did it is the best part!
It was the early part of 2017 when we noticed some friends on Facebook were touring the country in their RV. And it just so happened they were going to be in our area so we arranged to get together. It was so great to see someone from our home state and just in general good to see them! They gave us the “tour” of their home on wheels and it piqued an interest in both my husband and me. My husband had, at one time in his life (yes…..we both have had lives prior to meeting each other!) and would often tell me he would love to get an RV and travel. I had never really had much experience with one so I was pretty neutral about it. However, after listening to our friends about all of the places they have gone, people they have met and experiences they had, I was up for the adventure!
After much discussion about what we wanted, looking at our finances and making a decision, we were officially motorhome owners a few months after initially entertaining the idea. So we set off to tour the country in our MH, covering most of the U.S. and parts of Canada in a 12 month period. It was an AMAZING experience and I would recommend it to anyone! If you have a desire to do something like that….GO FOR IT! There are so many ways to make it happen in your life. There is no “right” or “perfect” time to do something like RVing, you just have to jump in. BUT, jump in with some knowledge of how your rig works etc…but just do it!
Alongside of motor-homing for the year, we DID rent out our home. It helped to off-set some of the expense of the adventure (an idea you may want to consider.) And we weren’t really sure how we would like the RV experience and we really didn’t want to sell our home. We thought it would be smart to still have a place to hang our hats if need be. Our tenants were great and we really didn’t have any problems on that end. It’s a great idea and helps to offset the expense of the RV if you don’t want to/have to sell. And home sharing is a great gig for others too. It gave some friends a place to stay for a bit while they were building their home and then we had some seasonal tenants in who like to head south for the winter. But think about the possibilities that are available to you. When you are open there is so much made available to you that you would never think. Consider the possibilities!
We finished up our year and it was an experience both of will never forget! We made friends along the way we are still in contact with, saw 31 states in nine months and stayed in one for three! I am truly grateful for the opportunity. Something I would have never imagined in my life!
We spent the next few months (May-September) after our MH experience traveling again; this time via airlines to family events and such all over the country. It was during time we decided to sell our MH. We realized we loved having a place to call our own and settle into. We did what we wanted to do in our RV and it was a GREAT experience! Did we want to be life long RVers? NO! So it didn’t make sense to keep it, pay to store it, maintain it and all the other things that go into that life style. These are all things you have to consider in the process. And during this time, we had some “life” stuff happen that helped us with our decision.
My husband was called back to our home state to spend some last hours with his mother. It was during this trip we realized we needed to be closer to family. It was an “aha moment” for him. And he had been dealing with some health issues that were better off being taken care of back where we were originally from and where most of our immediate family. With the loss of his mom, and knowing we could help with our kids, he really was convinced to move…back across the country… again! So, the moving process began…
What was so amazing to me was once the decision was made, how fast everything fell into place. It was because of this energy we KNEW it was the right decision. We were able to secure and occupant for our home that we were leaving and buy a home in our new hometown in our old state! We set about packing and cleaning and getting things in place for a first of the month departure.
I tell you this because things; life, doesn’t always go as planned. BUT clarity on your true life priorities will always win and the vibrations of the Universe will be VERY clear when a DECISION is made in the direction of those priorities. I was so amazed when I would come home from work and another room was packed and more things were taken off the walls. More boxes piled in the kitchen ready to be hauled into the moving truck. After our relocation cross country two and a half years ago, I didn’t see any of this in my future! Not motor-homing for a year, not moving back to our home state, nothing. I didn’t know any of this would happen.
What I DO know is this: I believe that when the forces of the Universe want you someplace, you will be in that place. I believe we moved because we had to meet the people we met in order to have the life experiences we had. The same thing with motor-homing the country. We met some amazing folks and saw some amazing country in our rig. And….I am so grateful I decided to be inconvenienced for a while to have that experience. Living in a motorhome was NEVER on my life agenda! So glad I said YES! So glad I said YES to moving across the country. And…so glad I said YES to moving back. It was hard… but I really felt that you need to move from something good to something GREAT to put another piece in your life puzzle to see the entire picture.
So, here I am, writing to you all to share what may seem to be crazy to some but is all perfectly clear. Because of the clarity I have worked towards on my life goals, more incredible opportunities are coming my way. I encourage you to gain clarity. It’s an inside job. It will lead you on adventures untold. And you will meet people that will come into your life for a season, a reason or a lifetime. Your life will be made up of these wonderful things. Choose clarity and choose YES. You’ll be glad you did!