It’s been a rough first week on the road. I’d planned to take it easy at first because I’ve been running on adrenalin for the past month. Work, taxes, road trip prep, emotional ups and downs, and of course my friend Doreen’s celebration of life.
I knew I should give myself some down time the first week on the road. But I didn’t.
Not only did I catch a horrible head cold because I was completely run down, I also ran into winter storm warnings in Saskatchewan. The worst of it is down south in Regina and over to the east in Winnipeg (where I’m headed next). Schools, highways and various activities in Manitoba are closed.
Now I have no choice but to slow down.
I’m in Saskatoon. My camper van has a couple of electronic issues I wanted to take care of before the warranty expires, so I brought her to re-meet her maker. Pleasure-Way is in Saskatoon; Ruby’s in the shop now.
And I’m in a hotel.
When the road gets rocky
Slow down. Book yourself into a hotel—either literally or metaphorically. Your “hotel” might be ordering pizza instead of cooking, calling in sick and spending the whole day in bed, or canceling all your appointments, meetings and activities for a week or two.
Read, color, or watch something that comforts you. I read two books in five days, and am binge watching Blue Jays baseball on tv. Baseball is such a relaxing, interesting sport! I also find tennis and golf soothing to watch.
Do something that feeds your soul. Even though I’ve been a Raggedy Ann doll for the past week, I had to make a couple of videos. They’re surprisingly draining and time-consuming to create, but I still get such a kick out of them. I can’t not do it, you know?
A few days ago I made A Minimalist’s Camper Van Setup for a Cross-Canada Road Trip. Ruby shows off a couple of new tricks in that video 🙂
And this morning I posted 3 Road Trip Experiences That Changed How I Travel. I share footage of Jasper National Park while talking about how hitchhiking in Europe, getting stranded in the Kathmandu Airport in Nepal, and hitting black ice in Saskatchewan changed how I travel on road trips and through life.
Take good care of yourself, my friend. Treat yourself to a night—or a week!—in a “hotel” before you actually need it.
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