Do not be afraid to leave where you are--to leave your old world behind. Be brave enough to travel to the unknown, to open yourself to something new. Strive to see extraordinary places and meet extraordinary people. Dream with the dreamers and do what you once thought was unthinkable. Explore with the explorers and discover endless possibilities. Do not let fear be your map. Do not let comfort determine where you stay. Let curiosity guide you. Let your eagerness for adventure, for diversity, for aliveness lead you. Do not be afraid of getting lost--you may just find what you need. Lose your logic, find your soul. Lose your path, find your direction. Lose your way, find yourself. You have the power to determine your journey. Listen to your heart and you will always be home. (Bryan Anthony)
Dakota and I spent the night at Natural Falls State Park in Oklahoma Friday night as a trial run before the big trip, a 4,500 mile jaunt from NW Arkansas through Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, and Missouri before returning home. It's a long trip.
When friends have asked if I'm anxious or frightened, I answer no. Most of the stops will be planned, but not all of them. As I said in my previous post, there are no straight lines and even though I have the Internet and Rand McNally maps, they don't tell you everything. For example, Walt and I have stayed at Natural Falls State Park before...it's one of our favorites for camping and hiking. It's a small park with a lovely waterfall, clean facilities, and a lovely small disk golf course. What our maps didn't tell us is that the Arrowhead Speedway hosts racing events on Friday nights that lasts until midnight. And that at the campground, you can hear everything.
Note to self: zoom in to map view and check out the surrounding areas before choosing a camping spot.
Trial runs are good. The van ran fine. Dakota was a happy girl. And I started a checklist: the van doesn't have a furnace and 40F makes for a chilly night even with wool blankets so I need a heater, I definitely need a foam mattress topper, and the rubber gasket on the driver's side near my ear leaks. Gotta fix that. Everything else will work itself out along the way.
I love the poem at the beginning of this blog. It came with a gift from Walt and rather than tossing it with the rest of the packaging, found it to be as valuable and profound as the gift itself. This part especially rings true: "Do not let fear be your map. Do not let comfort determine where you stay. Let curiosity guide you. Let your eagerness for adventure, for diversity, for aliveness lead you. Do not be afraid of getting lost--you may just find what you need."
Amen to that.
Natural Falls State Park, Oklahoma