FROM NINE YEARS OF FULLTIMING, A LESSON. (AND A VEGAN RECIPE ANYONE WOULD LOVE)

Each morning when I awake, my thoughts turn to my plans for the day.  Maybe we’re moving to a new spot, or have a hike planned.  Maybe we’re meeting friends.  Food always plays a big part.  Are we eating at home?  What am I cooking?  Do we need groceries?  

Whether we already have plans or they are being formulated as I turn over to peek out at the weather, I always have some expectation for the day, my Plan A.  Sometimes flexible; sometimes not so much.

On Wednesday, leaving Wells, we had a relaxing Plan A: a short (well under 150 miles) drive north to Twin Falls, ending at a previously researched campground that sounded very appealing.  Phone a couple of friends in town and arrange a meet-up once we arrive, then kick back and relax.

Of course, our blowout was not part of Plan A!  When it happened, and particularly when we learned that it would take the tow truck an hour to an hour and a half to reach us, we did what nine years of fulltiming has taught us to do: let go of Plan A, the sooner the better!

Over our years of travel, due to breakdowns (yikes, everything in the freezer has thawed out!), illness of people (sorry, but I really can’t leave the motorhome this morning) or pets, or weather (OMG, what just blew by the window???), we have had to throw Plan A out the window many times.  Eventually, it dawned on us: no matter how our day existed in our imaginations, holding on to that plot line in the face of a new reality simply adds stress to the current, unexpected situation.  The sooner we let go of Plan A, the easier it is to find the solution to a challenge – and maybe enjoy (or at least somewhat appreciate!) whatever this unscheduled, unimagined new reality has in store.

For me, it is usually NOT fun to have a problem throw a wrench into my Plan A – yet my enjoyment of fulltiming has a lot to do with encountering the unexpected, the serendipitous, the unknown.  Throwing away our travel plans because we lucked into the most fabulous site in the campground (with the great view and no mosquitos) or found an unexpected gem of a town, is easy.  The trick is in learning to throw away Plan A when the unexpected and unwelcome strikes. 

Funny thing about Wednesday… we left Wells as planned, and we ended up in Twin Falls as planned.  There was a lot of “the unexpected” in between!  :)  Letting go of Plan A made the in-between experience much less stress-filled.  It’s a lesson I need to keep in mind.

On a completely different subject:  judging from the number of comments left on my blog, most of you readers are interested in FOOD.  I don’t do much baking, but recently came across a recipe (pulled out of a magazine, and I don’t know which one) that has got me firing up the oven once a week: Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies.  No dairy, no eggs.  Ingredients healthy for diabetics and for those trying to keep cholesterol down.  Big, chewy, moist and yummy.  And very filling. 

One cookie (they are big, and around 200-250 calories each) makes a good breakfast for those who don’t like a big breakfast, or for breakfast as you are heading out the door.  Great to take along on a hike or a long day of sightseeing when you’re not sure where/when you might catch a bite to eat.  It’s a keeper.