Grounding
Hi. It’s been awhile, I know. Thank you to everyone who continued to poke and prod me to continue writing, telling me they were excited to read whatever it was I had to say next, adventuring or not. All this encouragement and feedback has been humbling and so very appreciated. This little lady’s heart is so full.
The dogs and I landed in Eugene, Oregon, a week and two days ago. (Yes, just as the World Athletic Championships in track are happening!) My contract with the University of Oregon started July 15, so I have four weeks to prep for the fall and spring semesters before the students show up. I did a two day virtual bootcamp last week for new legal writing professors, and I’m now even more excited to start this next chapter.
The previous 6-8 weeks were full of driving, hiking, adventuring, and spending time with friends. My plan is go back over my travels on the blog over the next few weeks, so I can recap them while they are fresh in my mind, and share them with anyone who may be interested. I am so fucking grateful that I did it. That I finally got myself out of Oregon.
And it turns out two months living in a van is about my limit (as well as Zuki and George’s limit). So the timing worked out great.
Two dogs who are ready to not live in a van for a while.
Some general takeaways in no particular order:
The West and Southwest of the United States is beautiful. It’s hard for me to even comprehend let alone explain the rock formations, mountains, foliage, rivers, and other wonders that I saw. Most of the time when I was driving or hiking I kept saying, “Whoa. Wow. What the….? I don’t even understand.” Go see it. You won’t regret it.
After two years of living alone during a pandemic and two months traveling alone in a van, I talk out loud to myself. A lot. When I was/am around people, I still do it, and I mostly do not realize I’m doing it until the other person gives me a weird look. I go seamlessly between talking to myself, the dogs, and whatever human is there. As I was walking by myself in Eugene yesterday to pick up a burrito, I said, out loud, “Sarah, you really need to stop talking to yourself.” So that’s fun.
Pickled eggs are amazing.
If you thought things in a house break a lot, try a van with a house in it. All the vibrations from driving make things go wonky at all times. I got pretty creative and patient with my fixes.
People are so kind. I mostly stayed at people’s farms and houses through Harvest Hosts and Boondockers Welcome. I was in predominately “red state” areas, and I’m very sure the people I were staying with held very different political beliefs than I did. But/And everyone was so kind, excited about where they lived and the life they had, wanted to share it with me, and wanted to hear about my life. I wonder what would happen if we could start actually talking to each other, getting to know each other as humans, rather than demonizing each other.
Tacos are the best idea for any meal.
There is way more cell reception than there was last time I took a road trip. And for that, I am very grateful because it meant I was able to Zoom in to my regular AA meetings on the road.
The van cannot go more than 40 mph up a steep hill. It is so heavy with the build, especially if the 30 gallon water tank is full. If you are ever behind me, just be patient. I’m doing the best I can.
Landing in Eugene has been full of a different kinds of adventures. There were squatters in my detached garage when I first got here. The housing situation in Portland and Eugene (as I’m sure elsewhere) is so complicated and wholly inadequate. I felt bad kicking them out, but I also did not feel safe with them there. I have the most amazing landlords who helped me navigate the situation kindly and compassionately.
My rental house has amazing built-ins, which is perfect since I got rid of most of my furniture. What house is complete without the troll collection?
I bought a car for the first time since 2010 (okay, except for the van). I have ALWAYS wanted a Subaru (I’m sure no one is surprised). And was told that Outbacks are impossible to get right now. Really that any car is impossible to get right now. I went to Kendall Subaru, here in Eugene, just to check out the differences between Outbacks and Crosstreks, and they had a gorgeous Outback XT in red that had just been released from contract the day before. So I am the proud owner of this sexy AF car. It is so fancy. And I’m so excited to not just be driving the van all the time!
SEXY AF
I also have the most amazing friends, including here in Eugene. I got Covid when I was in Wyoming, in the middle of no where. And it was not the kind of Covid where you are asymptomatic and only know because you took a test. This Covid knocked the shit out of me, although I never had to go to the hospital and I did manage with Advil and Mucinex. I could tell I was getting sick, so decided to get an Airbnb for three nights just to be safe. But I had no idea what was coming. This may be a story for another time, but being that sick on my own in the middle of no where was not my favorite part of the trip. After three days my fever broke and I could stay awake for longer than an hour, so I hit the road to get back to Portland. Those four days of driving wiped me out, and I slept for the next 48 hours. It took me another week and a half to get back to a somewhat normal energy level and, if I’m honest with myself, I’m still not quite fully recovered.
But my friends showed up and took care of me. Making sure I ate, slept, rested. And then helping me drive the van and Uhaul between Portland and Eugene to get my stuff here. I am so very blessed, and so very grateful.
So now starts my 10 month contract to teach legal research and writing to first year law students at the University of Oregon. I don’t know what happens after these next 10 months. I have never been more uncertain about my future; I have never had less of a plan than I do right now. And I have never felt more grounded in myself, in my abilities, in my Higher Power. When I started this journey in January, I had no idea that this is where I would be sitting seven months later. The plan the Universe has for me is so much bigger and better than any I could come up with. So I’m going to continue to practice taking this one day at a time (because it is a practice), keep my eyes open for all that I have to be grateful for, and trust that whatever happens next is meant for me.
#nofilter