When we first started on our full-time RVing adventure in May 2020, we had some adjusting to do. We were leaving behind family, friends, our house of 24 years, our neighborhood. We sold a business we had owned and operated for 25 years. We sold, gave away, or donated the majority of our furniture, and boxed and stored items we wanted to keep for a future house. Our home-on-wheels was all of 224 square feet, and everything we needed to live and be comfortable was packed into it. It took several months to get into a new rhythm of life, moving about the country during a pandemic, meeting new people at a distance, filling our time with explorations instead of work.

When we came back to North Carolina at the end of October 2021 it was to be just for a couple of months to spend the holidays with family and friends and to catch up on basic medical appointments – physicals, dental cleanings, eye checkups. Everything was moving along nicely, except for a weird gurgling feeling I was having just below my rib cage on the left side. Occasionally, I would have pain, especially if I tried to take a deep breath. I diagnosed myself, of course. These symptoms weren’t present at the time of my physical at the beginning of November, and—other than a low platelet count in my bloodwork—I was healthy. I was assured that low platelets were something they saw regularly, were not necessarily a concern, and they would re-check my bloodwork before we left for Florida at the beginning of January.

The gurgling and pain continued into December, and I finally decided to talk with my doctor. A telemed appointment—a video call—on December 15 was very productive. My doctor listened to me, listened to what I thought it might be, wanted to order a lung x-ray (she thought it was the lining of my lungs because I had pain when taking a deep breath), and decided to also order an abdominal ultrasound because I was certain it was NOT my lungs but maybe my pancreas.

As we all know now, my lungs were fine, but the abdominal ultrasound on December 23 revealed multiple lesions on my spleen, which began the journey of discovering I had stage 4 lymphoma and treating it with six rounds of chemotherapy.

Tumblers are turning; gears are locking into new places; an updated alignment is coming alive.

Our worlds tilted. Quick adjustments were required. Our Florida plans were cancelled. Our trip to Alaska the following summer (2022) was yet again postponed. We had to reach outside of our comfort zones multiple times from January to July, first asking my friend Chris if we could camp in her front yard for several months, then borrowing my brother-in-law’s truck so we could have another vehicle to drive since Carl continued his part-time job at Lowe’s Home Improvement, among other things. We took our laundry to our daughter’s house every couple of weeks. I took our garbage to a friend’s trash can. Carl took on a massive caretaker role, dealing with his emotions as well as mine, researching when I just couldn’t think about it, cleaning up after me when I was extremely sick the week after my first chemo, and working part time to keep his sanity in check and to feel productive. There were appointments with my oncologist, bloodwork between chemotherapy sessions, bloodwork at chemotherapy, echocardiograms, PET scans, and a trip to an endocrinologist.

Overall, my body handled chemotherapy fairly well. The first week was an anomaly. I contracted norovirus which made me very ill and dehydrated. After that, the main side effects I had included hair loss, fatigue, and occasional swelling of my feet and ankles.

We are on the other side of all of that now. Chemotherapy is over, and my hair is growing back. For the next few years, though, we are tethered to NC because of quarterly follow-up appointments and needing to have my port flushed to stay operational. So, although we plan to continue RVing full time, we are adjusting—recalibrating—our travel plans around these quarterly appointments. After our extended stay in Minnesota while Carl works the corn silage and sugar beet harvests, we will make our way back to NC for my November appointment. Bonus: We will be spending Thanksgiving with family. Then we will go to Florida for a few months, and we are deciding whether to drive back at the end of February or whether I will simply fly back for my next appointment. Then I need to arrange my May follow-up appointment to coordinate with our plans to drive to Montana as we begin our trip to Alaska for the summer (finally!). My doctor might not be thrilled about this, but we will still be in Alaska in August (for the next quarterly appointment). We will need to find a place in Fairbanks or Anchorage to have my port flushed, but my check-up will need to wait until we get back to NC sometime next Autumn. I am not happy to be tied to medical appointments for the foreseeable future, but I appreciate the care and cure I have received and will do what is necessary to make sure any recurrence is nipped in the bud.

Our thoughts about retirement are also being recalibrated. Carl is not yet ready to completely retire. He enjoys working, making money, and helping others in the process. Working part-time at Lowe’s for several months kept him happy and busy. The corn silage and sugar beet harvests have been on his bucket list for a few years. One day on the job and he has already said he is having fun and is talking about next year! It is becoming apparent that we will need to fit some type of temporary, part-time work into our travel arrangements these next few years.

Honestly, though, while I was working on other authors’ books, I was wondering why I wasn’t working on my own.

I am recalibrating my relationship to work and retirement as well. In all fairness, I never considered myself retired. I called it an “extended sabbatical.” My years publishing Innerchange magazine notwithstanding, I have worked for someone else my entire adult life. My website, BookLayoutPro.com, and its services were born last year out of my skillset, wanting to help others, and wanting to do something productive on a part-time basis. I have worked on a couple of books (see rivetingjourney.com’s sidebar), but promoting my website fell to the wayside because of my health. Honestly, though, while I was working on other authors’ books, I was wondering why I wasn’t working on my own. If I am to write a book on consciousness evolution—something I have been thinking about for a few years—I have to let go of my ideas surrounding work. Committing to myself and establishing a writing work ethic with self-imposed deadlines is different than taking on a project for someone else with his/her deadlines. Then there is the whole money thing. I won’t get paid until a book sells, and that is scary. Putting tons of work into research and writing to not sell a book is deflating and demoralizing. Plus, I’d be putting myself “out there,” and I have to be prepared to take the bad (comments) with the good. Considering I take everything personally (I mean, it IS all about me, right!?!), will I be able to handle an onslaught of criticism? On the other hand, it could become a well-sought-after non-fiction read! Will I be ready to own its success and carry it forward with another book? (I have a rough table of contents for one already…just saying.)

As you have probably surmised, I am getting in my own way. The questions and doubts continue as I realign my relationship with work. I can feel the recalibration occurring in my psyche. Tumblers are turning; gears are locking into new places; an updated alignment is coming alive.

I have the books I need with me in the Airstream and truck. I’ve downloaded dozens of articles and papers—many of which I’ve read and categorized for my research. My writing space is not ideal, though. I have claimed one end of the couch (the only place to sit in our Airstream) with a nice little table for my laptop. Some of my books are in a basket at my feet. If the weather is just right, I set up a table outside to work. Another minor issue: I concentrate best and am most productive when I have the place to myself. When Carl is here, he is usually doing several things at once—listening to CNBC, reading articles online, commenting out loud on the stuff he’s reading, reading to me, getting up to check on things, going in and out, etc. Very distracting! So, while we are here in Minnesota for harvesting, I hope to finish “recalibrating” and make good headway with a few chapters of my book.

Life’s circumstances require us to recalibrate—maybe more often than we realize. Whether it be health, work, family, friends, goals, plans, retirement, or daily tasks, readjusting our mindsets when needed allows us to forge ahead with strength, with purpose, with compassion, with love for ourselves. Hopefully, my reset will see a published book as a result.

Be kind to yourself. It will ripple out to others.

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A few quotes on recalibrating…

“If you explode onto the scene at a very young age, there are so many people pulling you in different directions. It takes time to recalibrate and see what’s important.” ~ Clive Owen, PictureQuotes.com

“ ‘Due north’ on my compass is largely ‘due’ to the fact that in ‘due’ time I have been ‘unduly’ lax in recalibrating my compass. And I’m apparently ignorant enough to wonder why I’m lost.” ~ Craig D. Lounsbrough, from quotessayings.net

“If running a marathon excites you, create space in your life for it. Adding a new commitment means recalibrating different areas of your world. Logging more miles as your race date approaches means less time invested in other pursuits. Not forever, just during the months you train.” ~ Gina Greenlee, from quotessayings.net

“Getting healthy isn’t just about losing weight. It’s not limited to adjusting our diet and hoping for good physical results. It’s about recalibrating our souls so that we want to change – spiritually, physically, and mentally. And the battle really is in all three areas.” ~ Lysa TerKeurst, from quotlr.com

“Recalibration of the mind means clearing our perceptions and recovering our capacity for pure observation.” ~ Ilchi Lee, from quotlr.com

“Things are recalibrated according to new perspectives and perceptions.” ~ Tim Gunn, from quotlr.com

As you may know, we recently ventured to Maine for the 65^th International Airstream Rally and to explore Acadia National Park. We came back to North Carolina to take care of some much-needed truck repairs, go to a medical appointment, and take care  of a few other things to get ready to head back out. It has been a busy few weeks! But we are now on our way to Minnesota for Carl to fulfill something on his bucket list – working the corn silage and sugar beet harvests!

I have wanted to spend some time in Maine for many, many years. It all started with a report on the state of Maine that I wrote while in Junior High School, or maybe even in 6^th grade. I don’t remember what I discovered while researching the state, but it ignited a desire to go there. I remember considering going to college in Maine, and I also looked for jobs in Maine once I graduated from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Of course, this was before widespread personal computers and the internet, so finding a job was not easy—considering I had not yet been there!

March 3, 2022 – First Chemo Treatment

June 23, 2022 – Last Chemo Treatment

After a little over six months from my initial diagnosis and four months of chemotherapy treatments, I am happy to report that my latest PET scan shows zero lymphoma activity, and my spleen is back to normal size.  Yeahhhh…

I endured some side effects—most notably hair loss (it is strange to be hairless with no eyebrows!)—but most came and went without too much fanfare. The worst week was the very first week after the first chemotherapy treatment. I had contracted a stomach virus which, on top of the chemo, did quite a number to my system. I was back in the doctor’s office three different days that week to get fluids to get back to “normal.”

The remaining weeks were relatively uneventful for the most part. I faired better than so many others, and I am grateful for the journey I had.

It was important to me to use all the tools in my toolbox—chemotherapy, high-dose Vitamin C infusions, the love/support/positive vibes from family and friends. Cards, gifts, text messages, emails, phone calls, healing energy, and prayers were all gratefully received and accepted, and my health benefited from them all.

For this first year, I will have follow-up appointments every three months. Because of this, we will continue traveling but will stay on the east coast to make it easier and closer to get to my appointments.

We are currently making our way to Fryeburg, Maine for the upcoming International Airstream Rally. We will be back in North Carolina by mid-August for a follow-up appointment and to handle our house status. Then we will travel to Minnesota so Carl can work at a farm with the crew on corn silage cutting and sugar beets (his bucket list!) driving a truck for the harvest. Long hours and good, high pay for the month or so of work!!  A lot of RVers do this along with Amazon warehouse working and other high-pay, temporary jobs for travel money and such.

I’m so glad to be back in the Airstream with its new axles (thanks to Carl and his brother, Brad)—moving to new places and taking pictures with my camera! More to come on our travel adventures…

**Note: The video is not instructional. It is a mix of pictures and video clips showing our experience of changing our Airstream’s axles.

Carl is always thinking of something when it comes to our Airstream and our traveling lifestyle. For the past year, as we talked about a trip to Alaska sometime in the future, his focus has been on the amount of clearance we get with our Airstream. Given our penchant to boondock when we can, a few more inches of clearance would come in handy.

However, given the age of our Airstream (17 years) and knowing Airstream axles have a life of 15-20 years, he decided to change out the axles instead of just installing a lift kit.