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Oh, yes – the mechanics of it all. The best of plans undertaken by the best of planners can still leave a lot of space for mishaps, malfunctions, and other assorted shenanigans. A good addendum to any solid plan is the recognition that nothing is predictable, or static, and you can bet your mukluks that you haven’t thought of everything. The plan is the plan – it just might not be your plan the universe is interested in.
As my father used to tell it, my grandmother was a great worrier. More than once he found her with an anxious expression on her face as she rocked in her rocking chair. When he would ask what she was worried about, she would sometimes say – “I’m worried because there’s nothing I can think of that needs worrying about.” Like the lost tooth we look for over and over again even though we know it’s not there, worry memory drives us to distraction searching for that intangible whisp that niggles us awake at night. When planning a lifestyle change, we could certainly worry ourselves out of it altogether!
Thinking of everything (as in: “oh, she thinks of everything”) is an admirable aspiration, but entirely improbable when it comes to downsizing from a 1160 square foot home to living in a RAV4. Certainly in my attempt to plan things, I took my vehicle to the mechanic for that one last once over, explaining the deal about my new SUV life. If anything needed replacing, I was all in. At 108,000 miles, my 2015 “Ramper” was going strong, but I knew it needed some maintenance and that even though we don’t like to admit it, cars do have parts that need to be replaced on a roughly regular schedule. Well, my hometown mechanics definitely missed taking their share out of my bank account because within the first two months of being on the road I have replaced my car battery, my alternator, and my serpentine belt. Oh, and my headlight bulbs. Timing, as they say, is everything.
Enter Ocala Auto Repair, located right next to (and recommended by) Autozone where I had purchased my battery the week prior. “Alternator,” said Mike the Autozone employee when I described which indicator light I was concerned about. Mike said this with such knowing assurance that I trusted him to direct me to the right mechanic for the job.
My friend Peter had come along with me as it was our weekly foray into The Real World. His steadying and optimistic attitude made it easier to maintain my own equilibrium, so that when I opened the door to the repair place, I was really down with the “whatever happens, happens man” vibe I had been cultivating. In addition, I had been working on practicing forbearance as part of my internal dialogue and I think this opened repair shop Melissa and me up to communicate as though we were old friends. After she told me they were booking out a week, and after I told her I lived in my car but did have a tent so no worries – well, not only did Melissa get my car repaired that very day (within 4 hours!), she managed to knock $200 off the total price. Her sense of care for my well-being was keen.
Earlier that day as I left the campground, I had noticed the indicator light and knew it was likely-ish I would be returning without my vehicle. Still, my split-second self did not allow time for foresight, and so I had not emptied the car into the tent. A couple of hours later, I stood in the parking lot of Ocala Auto Repair grabbing anything I could think of that I would need for the week. After calling Momma Donna, who happened to be a couple of miles away, and not knowing how long my car would be out of commission, I grabbed what I thought I would need – which, as usual – is much more than I really needed. As it turns out, I only spent one night in the tent. However, even had I not brought a thing back with me, I would have lacked nothing here at Grateful Hammock - location finally disclosed!
For me, being on the road full-time is to live groundlessly with an understanding that this groundlessness need not be a fearful thing. Indeed, letting go of expectations and plans frees me to experience moments as they occur. It is such a habit to expect that things should go a certain way. We spend so much of our time making plans and trying to control outcomes, that we hinder a more natural and relaxed interaction with the world. I have gratitude for these mechanical difficulties as the experience allowed me to practice going with the flow – something that always seems much easier in theory to me than in practice. I also saw how my immediate indicator light panic hindered some serious insight I would’ve benefited from later.
So...I'll still make some plans. I’m all in for rowing up the ducks with the best of them. But, I do see that after all, plans are really just thoughts and things will go how they go… ‘cus ya know – the universe and all of that. ***********
Note to fellow travelers: - keeping up with car maintenance is essential. Spend now...rather than pay later! Know which items require regular maintenance and get to them before they get to you. I am thankful the alternator brought me to the mechanics as they were able to discover the serpentine belt issue before it caused some serious calamity.
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