Life Notes in the Margin

Knob Noster State Park, Knob Noster, Missouri Mid-July, 2017, and it’s our first full-stop, extended stay at this tree-lined state park in central Missouri. Nearly twelve-hundred miles from Phoenix, we welcome the sweet relief of nearness to our daughter’s family. The cicadas hum, calling to each other in a patchwork communication grid. We are pummeled on a sweltering day with 112 degree heat index. Some nights the rain falls hard, like staccato punches on the camper roof. The trees create a rainforest canopy, providing much needed shade. The humidity traps moisture on my skin. A dramatic change from the water-wicking, Arizona desert heat. This beautiful park will be our new home for two weeks. Daily campsite fee, $21. Being minutes from our grandsons, priceless.

We passed Gallup, New Mexico about 6pm. It was too early to stop for the night and we did not want to layover in Gallup. Too tired to reach Albuquerque, we turned our rental truck and truck camper caravan toward the exit for Grants, New Mexico. I’ve never been to Grants, nor remember passing it on several trips along US 40. But I was grateful for this oasis in the desert, where we’d do our first Wal-Mart overnight stay. Thank you Sam Walton, for accommodating many weary travelers. The store staff was friendly, the parking lot was level and harbored at least a dozen rigs of all sorts. Cheers for a great night’s sleep in a strange city where nobody knew our name.

Phoenix is like a powerful magnet, attracting thousands of new residents every year with the promise of jobs, economic growth and sunshine. We enjoyed all those things over nearly a quarter century of desert living. I fired up the fully loaded, 22-foot moving truck on departure day, Marcia would be in trail as the pilot-in-command of our Arctic Fox 990 truck camper. But on the day we pointed the rental truck, truck camper and two dogs north, after days of packing and loading in intense, 108 degree heat, it seemed Phoenix would not let us go. One mile down the road the rental truck’s check-engine light came on! I turned into Mayo Hospital parking lot and discovered the tow-able car dolly straps were loose. Oy! I tightened the straps and the light went out after restarting the engine. But, just a few miles further the light came on again! No more than four miles into our road trip we exited the freeway and called Penske roadside assistance. The service technician showed up about an hour ...

Every journey begins with a single step. In our case it was about 50 steps, to stay with our dear friends on the first night of our adventure. It was strange, almost surreal to look across the street at a house that we once owned. I watched the new owner move a few things into the garage as if to plant his flag and claim the property. Yet, I felt little emotion at the passing of our longtime residence. I am grateful for what the house provided, shelter from extreme Arizona summer heat and angry monsoon storms. I am happy about a life well lived there, instead of sad about its loss. I’m glad for the echos of laughter down the hallways and for holidays spent with the people that matter most. Seasons for earning a living and raising a daughter have come and gone. Now a new season for adventure is here. During this transition I’ve learned what’s essential for happiness, that home is wherever we are.

“Y” is a crooked letter that begs for a straight answer. We spent countless hours thinking about, planning for and executing a way toward the people that matter most. We looked to move away from the costly entanglement of house ownership. So we began the process to sell a house we lived in for 21 years. We packed a fraction of our stuff in a moving a truck destined for a storage unit. We took all of our accumulated memories but left the sticks and bricks for the new owner's story. During the process we stayed focused on our why. Why are we subjecting ourselves to the intense pain of selling a house? Our why is centered on our daughter’s beautiful family in a faraway place. Our why is found in Marcia’s aging parents and a strong pull to be nearer to them, We want better air quality and a tax friendly home state. Our new season began in July 2017, moving from a 2,200 square foot house into a 100 square foot truck camper for the next 12 months or more. It is a season for adventur...