Things Have Changed

 I was in search of a life. I was in search of meaning. Did my life have any more purpose? This is the point in my life where I have to ask AND answer those questions. When your life and time on this earth becomes limited, time is the only commodity left. Not money. Not possessions. Not anyone's opinion. Just you and the limited number of days ahead.

It really doesn't matter to me the state of our economy. Hubby and I have prepped for times like these for over 25 years ago. When I got my car repossessed back in 2002, just for missing ONE payment, I realized then and there that my life was simply rented. I think there will be a whole bunch of people who will learn this lesson now, today, tomorrow just as I did over two decades ago. No body cares what clothes you wear, what car you drive or the square footage you reside in. People are going to learn, unfortunately the hard way, that having a roof over your head, food on the table, essential utilities paid for and reliable transportation is ALL that is needed for a high quality life. Period.

I asked myself what I wanted to do, accomplish over the rest of my life. Truth was I didn't want to go to Italy. I didn't want to travel abroad or visit some remote, uncharted territory. Turned out I just wanted to stay home and enjoy what God has already given me. I do want to travel, however, but to get back to the basics I once prioritized. That was traveling around America. Seeing the Grand Canyon (please don't burn down until I get there!) and exploring more locations much closer to my home base.

This meant sprucing up our RV. We haven't used it in two years. We specifically bought it new in 2020 to spend our winters (3 months: January, February and March) in Florida. That first trip got shot down due to Covid back in 2020 and we haven't used it much since. Then I got diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023 and hubby recently diagnosed with Afib. So, between heart disease and cancer, aren't we a pair? LOL!!

It takes a certain kind of person to love camping. All set up!

A few months ago my good neighbor and friend asked me if I wanted to go to the movies. Normally I would turn down all invitations but we were going to see the new Bob Dylan movie, "A Complete Unknown" (click here) and seeing Dylan walk the streets of the Village in downtown Manhattan instantly brought me back to my own time when I also used to walk those same streets. The incident transported me back to the person I used to be back in the 1960s. Gosh, how we all can loose our way in life. I was so full of hope back then. I was so intent on living my best life possible. And then, as we all know, that very same life got in our way.

Not anymore. I don't give a rat's ass about this economy, the price of eggs or beef (because I can pay whatever it costs without batting an eyelash). I don't care who is the president, who is the king, who is in charge of the planet or what war in what part of the planet is raging. All of that is meaningless to me because it truthfully has no influence on my life. When you're facing death by cancer or heart attack, it is amazing how your prospectus changes.

As Bob Dylan said in his 2000 Oscar Award Winning song from the hit movie, also an Oscar winning film of 2000, Wonder Boys (click here):

"I used to care.

But things have changed."

So, how did hubby and I, after my great discovery, decide how to live out the rest of our lives? By first going to a Bob Dylan concert, of course. I found out, quite by accident, that 86 year old Dylan was touring the country with 94 year old Willie Nelson in Nelson's 10th Anniversary Outlaw Music Festival (click here for that info). I researched where and when they would be playing close to us in New York. Turns out they were performing up in the Adirondack Mountains at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (click here). Direct tickets were only $38.50 for outdoor seating and chair rental was only $8. Tack on an administrative fee (of course) and for $125 hubby and I were scheduled to see the real, legendary Bob Dylan, an always idol of mine. It took hubby 4 days to scrub and get our RV ready. We booked a quiet RV site nearby and the rest is history.

THINGS HAVE CHANGED! 

I re-joined KOA (Campground Of America) click here. I've made several future reservations. We'll be spending a few weeks on several of our favorite beaches. We'll be back in Florida over the winter. Will we stay 3 months as we always dreamed of? Nope. Prices have risen BUT if we cut back a bit, it's still affordable. So, that's what we'll do. Thankfully our RV has a great full kitchen (oven, microwave, fridge & freezer, smart TV etc), I had to re-buy all new, toxic-free cooking utensils, dishes etc, as well as a plastic-free coffee pot and stainless steel pans BUT we will save a bunch of money by cooking all our meals in the RV (it also came with an outdoor grill!).  PLUS we will eat well and healthy. It took hubby four days to scrub and clean our RV and get it back in tip top shape. Everything still works (a/c, heat etc) and I'm grateful when we first bought the RV I spent big bucks getting a special-sized RV queen tempurpedic mattress with a comfy pillow top because getting a good nights sleep when camping is so important!

Here are some photos I took from the Bob Dylan concert. We got there early (3PM) so we sat close to the stage and we could see the actual performers. Plus, we were right under the big concert screen in case we missed something.

I love this last photo I took of Dylan. I'm having it blown up and made into a 8 X 11 photo to hang in my office. It's not crystal clear BUT it makes a unique picture. And every time I see it I will remember a great weekend. I will remind myself to be 'Forever Young' (my most favorite Dylan song):