It’s a wrap. We left Tahoe on September 8th. Almost 2 months on the road, 10,000 miles, visited and adventured near 30 states, and a ton of fun and lots of learning. The van experienced a rock to the windshield which we got replaced in PA, new brake pads, oil change, replaced 2 burnt out fuses for the pop up and a DEF system failure which resulted in a “10 Starts Remaining” light that came on right outside of Chicago on our way out West headed home.
Van Life is not for everyone. However, it can be the catalyst for going inward and unravelling all of the loose thoughts that are often roaming around in one’s head. In our case, long hours on the road to a destination that provided new sights/insights and perspective building is all a part of the journey for me. Perspective is the way one looks at something and provides an opportunity to push against the perspective held and begs the question, how else can this be looked at? In my work, I work with client’s every day to take on new perspectives about their life, challenges, etc. I am always in a state of inquiry, always asking, "why am I here?", “what is here?", "what is here to take away from this experience?", “what am I feeling?", "what is there to learn about myself?", to name a few.
It’s fitting that we would experience a “10 starts remaining” light in the van which meant just that. Once it got to “0”, the van would lock up and no longer start. This became a metaphor for me as we drove West with the light glaring on the dash of the van. We know we don’t get yesterday back and today is what we have to celebrate and the journey forward.
What if we only had 10 starts remaining, 10 mornings to wake up, 10 days to make an impact, to leave an impact on those most important to us? Tomorrow is not a guarantee and so this makes this very relevant to the legacy we all want to leave.
As our journey continued, I began to ask myself, what is the impact I want to leave? What is untended in my life? In my relationships?
In my opinion, we could all stand to take a look at this. The world would be a better place. If the last 2 years hasn’t proven this to us, well then, so be it. The only guarantee we have in our lives is the quality of the relationships we have in our lives. Relationships are the key to joy and happiness. Everything else can be taken away from us in a second.
The time is now, to tend to all of the relationships in our lives. If you had 10 starts remaining, would you be satisfied with your current state and what you are leaving behind if tomorrow is not in your future?
I am going to continue working on my legacy while I am still living. Will you join me?
All my love, Lorrie
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