Fifteen years ago, when I began developing a meaningful and practical understanding of spirituality, I asked a simple question. “What is healthy spirituality?" I will not bore you with the details. These are available in the books and blogs I have published since then. But I did run across one idea that frequently appears in my writing: bounce. It is one of the premier gifts of a healthier spirit. When facing difficult circumstances, a healthy spirit will help us bounce and keep going. The opposite is falling flat like a deflated basketball. Well, this week, our bounce has been and is being tested big time!
The week began knowing that Koko's slide would need some TLC. One side was struggling to come in. I had talked with the mobile Tech in Amarillo, and he suggested I give the rails a good cleaning and then try it out. Buoyed by hope, we took a trip to Lake MacKenzie and took a few pictures.
The Main Part of the Lake 
The Dam 
The Hilltop, now Island 
Beautifully layered rocks line the lake. 
The Marina called The Crappie House 
Likely prime fishing areas a few years ago. 
The Boat Ramp from the water's edge.
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| Along the high and dry boat ramp. |
When we returned to Koko, I pulled out my ladder and cleaning rags and started cleaning the slide rails. There are three on each side of our slide, two on top and one at the bottom. This rail engages with a worm screw that is supposed to pull the slide straight in and out, driven by a single motor on each side that turns a shaft from top to bottom. After an hour of cleaning, we gave it a try. The slide refused to come in. I knew I would need to make another call on Monday morning, and I felt the air leaking out of my bounce.
On Monday morning, I called the tech and updated him. He then began letting more air out of my bounce. He would be glad to look at it, but it was not anything that he could fix. He recommended I take it to an RV Service Center. The closest RV Service Center was back in Canyon, so my next call was to Billy Max RV Service. After several calls, a few things became clear. Yes, they could repair it. Yes, as a full-timer, they would be glad to do the work as an emergency and waive the 5-6 week waiting list. Yes, it would only take a day or two to do the job. Then, the mostly flat basketball hit the floor. But it would take 7-10 days to get the part. They would need to convince my extended warranty company that it needed replacing. Then, it would take a day to do the repairs as long as there were no surprises! The uncertainty around getting back on the road was sucking the air out of my bounce! After hanging up, I saw a weather alert come across my phone. The Weather Service called for a major winter storm watch for Silverton in the next week while we were waiting for the part builders, insurance adjusters, repairmen, and the RV gods to pronounce their judgment. Yep, I felt like I was waiting for the custodian to clean up the basketball court because I knew where I was headed: the trash can in the corner.
The rest of the day was spent dealing with the uncertainty of not knowing when we would be able to resume our travels South. I canceled a reservation for the end of the week and made a new travel plan to get us to Central Texas when this was all over. I started planning to extend our stay in Silverton while we waited for the part to be made and shipped. This included reviewing what we would need to get through a winter storm in Koko. I knew that my greatest challenge would be to get some air back in the ball. At the end of the day, I felt like I had a little more bounce, but the air was still leaking out, and I needed to get myself into a better place. As always, Marlene had the right answer for our first step: a hike!
On Tuesday, we returned to Caprock Canyon Park and walked the Canyon Rim Spur Trail. It begins and ends in a prairie dog town and follows Holmes Creek Canyon before returning along Caprock Canyon. We walked this trail several years ago and enjoyed the scenery. It was a relaxing and easy hike that was just what our spirits needed. When we returned to Koko, I was ready to begin the journey through the week of uncertainty. I was not bouncing as well as I would like, but it was enough. I began to feel like we would find our way through the next week and started looking ahead again, beyond the next 7-10 days.
A Rainbow Scarab (Dung Beetle) 
Holmes Creek Canyon 
A Bit of Fall Color in the Canyon 
The Prickly Pear was loaded with large tunas!
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| A Desert Denizen Prowls the Trail |
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| These footprints appear raised! |
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| Prairie Dog on Alert |
As Wednesday dawned, we looked at our possibilities list for Silverton. We decided to eat lunch at the Bison Café and then head to Turkey, TX, and check out the Bob Wills Museum. Turkey is the hometown of the King of Texas Swing, and I actually heard him and the Texas Playboys at Camp Ben McCulloch when I was a kid. (I played with the other kids in the parking lot while our parents were dancing.) The lunch was excellent. The Bison Café is in Quitaque, TX, and is only open a few hours daily. But when we were there, they were not busy, and I had a great burger. Unfortunately, the trip to Turkey did not work out so well. We discovered that the museum is in the City Hall/Community Center and was closed. I had been looking forward to seeing this museum for months. This reminds me that expectations are the central piece of disappointment. We returned to Silverton after losing a little bounce, having used up some of it on the dusty streets of a small Panhandle Town.
After returning, I began to look at options if the "worst case" with Koko became our new reality. I worked through our travel plans and budgeting with different scenarios in mind. At the end of the day, I felt better, recognizing that we can deal with whatever comes our way in the next few weeks and months. This more than made up for the loss of bounce from our trip to Turkey!
We had quite a list of things to do to prepare for the freezing weather. We need to protect our water supply and make sure we have plenty of propane for heat. In addition, it was time to complete our switching over to winter clothes. Lastly, we needed to make a run to Tulia for groceries. Life in an RV is never simple, but we had a couple of days to prepare.
The propane was the most problematic. Our propane tank is attached to Koko, and we can't move Koko without bringing in the slide. We needed someone to bring the propane to us. I called the Park Owner, who said he would check with the local propane company. The initial response was a big "no way." But the owner did not take no for an answer. He was able to get the propane delivered. He went way beyond what other park owners would do for their residents. I learned that he had been in our situation before, and this fostered empathy with our situation. That empathy led him to walk the “extra mile” to help us. (Empathy is a magic potion for a world filled with despair and fear.)
I then changed out our usual water hose for a heated hose that we carry, just in case. The owner still wants the water disconnected to protect the pipes, so I also filled our onboard water tank and tested the water pump. It worked.
We turned to our wardrobe for winter and pulled out all our winter clothes from under our bed. We stored away most of our shorts and lighter-weight clothes. We do this every year, marking a mental shift in my thinking. Winter has arrived!
Lastly, we drove to Tulia and bought a few groceries for the week. We had to be careful and only buy a few if we had to leave Koko unplugged for a few days. This busyness not only helped us prepare but also allowed me to work through and recover more bounce. At the end of these two days, I felt more prepared to deal with whatever came next.
On Saturday, the wind began to turn to the North, and the temperature started to drop. Despite having recovered much of my bounce, I was still not happy with the situation. Some folks are adventurers and love situations filled with uncertainty. I am not an adventurer. Uncertainty creates more grief than joyful anticipation in my soul. After 35 years of conducting funerals as a pastor and as a Hospice Chaplain, I have come to appreciate that grief is a constant companion throughout our lives. Change, particularly changes that create a sense of loss, evokes grief. Uncertainty is a major trigger for my own grieving.
We started this as a search for 70 degrees. And watching The Weather Channel makes me sad. Hearing the wind blow causes my spirit to ebb. Watching the clouds roll in, knowing that they will be with us for a few days, at least, erodes my “want to.” Watching the temps fall and knowing they 70 degrees will leave us for the time being deepened that sadness. And then, believing that all of this is entirely out of my hands made room in my spirit for that sadness to grow into grieving for what "might have been." How do any of us handle grief? It takes bounce. And bounce relies on refilling our lives with the air called hope! It does not take away the grief. We are still sad. Our “want to” may still be very weak. We may still yearn for what “might have been,” but hope allows us to keep going and face the day ahead.
I want to tie this blog up with a big red bow and tell you everything is fine, and all our problems have been addressed. But this is the real world, and we all must wait for the "happy ending.” As I write these words on Sunday Morning, the temps have fallen, and we are starting our journey through this winter storm. So, for now, the end of the story remains unwritten because it has yet to be lived. So, I invite you to bear with me as we move through the week or two to see how all this works out. Follow me on FB if you want more timely updates. Otherwise, next week's blog will take us all a little further down the road.
I am glad you are along for the ride. Hang in there with us as we wander through these next seven days, buoyed by hope of warmer weather and a healthy and happy Koko.
Bob
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