This is my new mantra…

Inspired by an email response from my SBFF, Marylee…

What started as an email to my son, John, in Ireland, catching him up with our life in Oregon at the moment, soon became the perfect venue for venting my frustrations. See my previous post, Staying Strong… for details.

Amazingly, it is easier for me to write down my dark place experiences than it is for me to call someone up and talk. As soon as I press send, I feel stronger.

John captures my main themes and provides me appropriate perspectives to ponder: living on a fixed income, adjusting to RV life, following our dream, and aging.

So… Saturday I leave Jeff and the dogs behind, get in the car, and drive myself out of the dark.

My destination is Brosi’s Orchards in Winston to buy fresh peaches, eggs, corn, zucchini, and the last of the cherries. But I take an hour drive up and back Upper Creek Road, a half mile east of Remote Outpost first. My radio is tuned to 92.9, the oldies channel from Coos Bay, and my windows are down as I inch my way up from the pond

in search of the end of the road, which I never do find. (Actually, this pic was taken on my way down when the sun finally came out.)

But, here is what I do find as I climb up the mountainside in my little car:

Scenic views of the creek and

evidence of recent logging…

The abandoned remains of campfires and litter, left by the homeless, appear under large tree-covered clearings.

Most of the clearings, however, lead to logging roads, some that are gated off by timber companies, and others that are blocked by a fence of large rocks and boulders.

I keep driving until I reach sunshine and blue sky.

And then I drive further, hoping to arrive at the top of the mountainside. Just when I think I am almost there,

the road narrows and turns into intermittent patches of gravel and ruts. I decide to turn back when I can see a portion of scalped mountainside.

On the way down Carly Simon is singing Baby, you’re the best on the radio and the sunlight captures a hot pink moment along the roadside.

As I return to the pond,

I work my way out, exiting left to Hwy 42 towards Winston and I think about what John said to me. Aging, retiring, living on a fixed income, full-time RVing, are all still new to us. We are still figuring out how to follow our dream at this stage of our life. So, here are some positive ways to look at the themes mentioned above:

Retiring…

 quoteslike.com

Living on a Fixed Income…

 dividendmantra.com

Adjusting to Full-Time RVing…

 quotesgram.com

Following Your Dream…

 pinterest.com

Being Long-Distance Grandparents…

 etsy.com

Aging/Growing Old…

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 adrielhong.com

Special thanks to my family: David, Marylee, Andy, John, Amanda, Jen, Brian, Tim, and Jeff for listening, for not judging, for sharing, for digging me out, and for planting me in fertile soil to grow strong again.