A few days ago I asked Quent what he found surprising about our cross-country RV trip so far.
“I’m surprised at how happy you are,” he replied.
I think that may have been code for, “I’m surprised you’re not complaining about having to poop in a tank, shower in a shoebox, and camp in 35°F,” but Q’s observation was spot on.
I’m happier than I’ve been in months, if not years.
I alluded to this last week: On this trip, where we’re in a new place every night or or every other night, it’s been so much fun to think about what each day will bring. I absolutely love researching and planning where we’re going to stay next, and I get a thrill every time I pull into a new campground.
Turns out, this type of joy — “vacation anticipation” — is a thing, according to a recent article in the LA Times. For many, thinking about an upcoming trip — to “disrupt anxiety and racing thoughts” — is a form of self-care. And I get to live it every day.
No wonder I’m feeling the joy.
Now, that’s not to say I’m ignoring everything that’s going on in the world. I’m still, of course, incredibly angsty about the outcome of our November 3 election. I’m disturbed by how many people are suffering, for so many reasons, in our country and across the world. I worry daily about my kids’ well-being on their college campuses — and whether a COVID-19 outbreak will lead to their being sent home. I’m concerned about the health of so many loved ones, hoping they remain safe through the pandemic and that we’ll see a proven vaccine soon.
But, as I’ve also said before, I’m wonderfully distracted by trip planning, navigating, and sightseeing. I don’t have as much time in my day to doomscroll. Or to let those worrying thoughts take over and send me into a spiral of despair.
I wrote about this, too, months ago — my attempts to find joy at home when chaos in the world swirled around me and all plans were put on pause. The experts interviewed for this LA Times article offered similar advice about how key it is to carve out moments of self-care: “It’s critical to find moments of joy amid stress and pain.”
Today, my joy is seeing my daughter, when we’ll meet up with her at her college apartment. Tonight, I can’t wait to have a draft microbrew and order from a food truck at our next Harvest Hosts campsite. Tomorrow, I get to see my mom!
Yeah, these are some big, super fun joys on the road. But, yesterday my joy was simply spotting an unexpected sunflower field on a walk around our RV campground.
I hope you can take time for your slice of self-care joy today — whether that’s dreaming and planning a vacation or taking a walk around the block or whatever it is that can help you find peace and comfort during a very difficult time in our lives.
