Patient Wandering

I used to tell my hospice patients and families that there is a reason those under care are called patients! But patience is not just a virtue reserved for hospice. Patience, allowing the universe to unfold as it will, is a necessary life skill. This is especially true for our wandering lifestyle. Unfortunately, patient wandering is more of an aspiration than a reality for me. This has been very true this week.

This Is  my Chillin'

As I wrote last week, when we arrived in Ypsilanti, I fell in love with the campground and extended our stay by four nights. That decision is now paying dividends now that that strange noise in Nakai has been identified as a bad differential. We will need to wait on the part, which can take a week or more. Nakai has become the patient, and we are her family! It is a time for her healing and our patience with the unfolding of 10 days. Fortunately, our next stop is only 38 miles away, so the road continues caring for us. This is how our week has unfolded.

 

Our time by the lake is offering me ample time to read. I am on the third of a quartet of books for my summer reading. I completed Braiding Sweetgrass and The Nature Fix. The first celebrates Native American understanding of nature, while the second views nature as a power for healing troubled bodies and spirits. These books are so rich in ideas that I read slowly and patiently lest they overwhelm both body and soul. I just started a third book, Native Nations: A Millennium in North America, that examines the biases of white history and then tells the story of the Native Presence on the land later claimed by the United States. It, too, demands patience as I encounter ideas that require reflection and contemplation. The next book is called Native American History, which will offer a more comprehensive view of the Native American Story on the continent from a modern, Native American perspective. Such reading has been difficult because I was in a hurry to learn. I would rush through and not listen to the authors. But this time, the road teaches me to read with new eyes and heart. And I plan on making the most of every opportunity.

Sunday offered a decent (though not remarkable) Mexican Restaurant and a shopping trip to the nearby Kroger for the week. When we returned to Koko, we sat and read while grilling chicken thighs. We avoid crowds on weekends and stay close to Koko, enjoying our lives at home. Unfortunately, the weather was in for a change.

 

Monday started a rainy week in Southwest Michigan. I got up earlier than usual to take Nakai into the shop for maintenance. I was able to rent a Malibu from Hertz until we got Nakai back. (I definitely miss Nakai!) I got on Zoom with my retired friends while Marlene started the laundry. The day unfolded as it should, and we found time to relax and enjoy a rainy day.

 

The Wright - No Pictures Allowed

We drove into Detroit on Tuesday to visit The Wright Museum of African American History. The main exhibit, “… and still We Rise…, offered an annotated timeline for the African Diaspora,, and Tuskegee Airmen Museum in North America. There were also two art exhibits, "The Audacity to Thrive" and "Double ID," by contemporary artists sharing their stories. A fourth exhibit highlighted the Tuskegee Airmen, whose first training occurred at Selfridge Army Air Base north of Detroit. All the exhibits celebrated the African-American experience as a victory over the most inhumane treatment. Like the stories I have been reading about Native Cultures, the African American Cultures across the United States found ways to survive and thrive with dignity and joy. The Audacity Art Display speaks to the boldness of the cultures to seek their roots and values and hold fast to a future that is not yet written. Despite the Double Identity of the people, they will rise! It was an enjoyable and educational afternoon.

 

We spent the next day enjoying the excellent weather at the campsite. We uncovered our chairs and sat outside watching the wildlife that returned after the weekend crowds cleared out. I spent the day reading and slipped into a nap. As full-timers, we can enjoy the quiet days, when, in most parks, weekenders have returned to their everyday lives. It allows time to enjoy the road beyond the sightseeing with the simple pleasures of reading and a little uncomplicated photography. There is plenty of time to wander, but these quiet days are precious.

 

The Flotilla

Robin looking for bugs

She had a lot to say

A Dagger Caterpillar (Do Not Touch)

"I'm Ready for my Close-up, Mr. DeMille!"

Why are you here?

The Flotilla Leaves

On Thursday, we set out to visit the Nichols Nature Conservancy adjacent to the University of Michigan. We started the day with breakfast at Tim Horton's, a Canadian doughnut chain we enjoyed in Toronto. Unfortunately, the chain has turned into a cross between McDonald's and a Starbucks with tasteless pastries and burned West Coast Coffee. Oh well, at least we have our memories. After taking care of several errands, we headed to Ann Arbor and found the conservancy. Unfortunately, it is next to the university, and all the parking is filled with student and staff cars. No nature conservancy, so I spent the day completing our outline for 2025 travels. There would be no hiking today. When we returned to Koko, I had to make new arrangements for the next two weeks. We had learned that Nakai would be out of commission for at least another week. After several texts with the Service Advisor, we had to undergo major surgery on our travel plans. I spent the day mulling over options and waiting for the final word on the challenges that awaited us.

 

With Friday came a clearing out of the fog of uncertainty about Nakai. We would have 10 days before we got her back. This meant significant changes in our travel plans. As the rain moved in once again, I started shifting our reservations and sorting our options. Afterward, while I was in the travel planning mood, I returned to our plans for 2025. Finally, I completed an outline allowing me to finish booking the trip. The first part of 2025 will be our unusual wandering with week long stays and relatively short drives. But, after we visit Crater Lake, our return trip to Texas will include a couple of month-long stays in areas that interest us as Fall refugees from Hurricane Season in the future. It feels good to get back to looking ahead after dealing with the uncertainty over Nakai for over a week.

 

This brought me back to my life lesson for my week, patient wandering. Patience demands that I acknowledge that I have little control over the events along the road. This is not a new revelation. It has been a recurring theme in the blog over the last two years. But this week, I am coming to understand that by acknowledging the lack of control, I am free to get creative with how I respond. I am no longer a slave to the plans in my Excel spreadsheet or route planner. Instead, I was free to find joy in things beyond my imagination when I laid out this trip outline last Summer. It also allows me to relax with the planning that we are doing for 2025  by being reminded that our options will remain open as we make our way down the road next year. Indeed, after a lifetime as a planner, I have discovered joy in watching the dim mirror of our plans become clearer in the light of each new day on the road. The chief skill for this to happen? Yep, my old nemesis, patience! I have always asked, "Give me patience, RIGHT NOW!" But now, I am learning to ask for help in letting the journey unfold as it should while keeping my heart and mind open to the opportunities along the way. Yes, this is still a work in process, but it is a work well worth the energy and commitment!

 

Travel well, my friends. The road awaits, and there are joys untold that will be revealed in their own time!

 

Bob

 

A few bonus shots from an evening on Lake Ford, Enjoy!