The Struggle is Real

Not really...the struggle is pretty much over. It started this time last week. "Do we stay or do we go?" As in...go home. Boy, did I struggle. I am certain that my husband is convinced that I am a lunatic. One day I want to keep moving along on the adventure and the next, I miss home and friends...baking and fall decorating. His response...every single time..."whatever you want to do, honey." Believe it or not, sometimes, agreeing with me is NOT an option I prefer. So, last Sunday, I put it in God's hands. I said a prayer and asked for a sign.

An evening chilling out by the fire. The tent space is my new "office" that Nick set up as an option other than the camper.

On Monday morning I got up at 5am, leashed up the pups and out the door we went for our usual early morning walk. I was probably 50 feet from the camper when I missed the step off of a curb and went down pretty hard, bracing myself with my left hand. You guessed it...injury! I was certain I had broken my hand. The pain was excruciating. My husband helped me up and got me back to the camper to begin icing. The first thought through my head, "Really God?! I asked for a sign, not a broken hand."

My hand feels even worse than it looks. Typing is a challenge. I keep hitting the  "caps'' button instead of the "a".

The rest of the morning was spent in Urgent Care. While I awaited the results of the x-ray I got a text from a dear friend that told me she missed me she had read my blog from the day before. She wrote that she could see I was struggling with the decision to go home. She then sent words of encouragement and a message that all would be the same when I got back. Her final message conveyed that I should enjoy the journey and this once-in-a-lifetime experience. As I was reading the text, it hit me that THIS was the sign. No more struggle, My head cleared and I found myself relax (other than the pain I was experiencing). By the way, the x-ray showed that my hand was not broken, just a severe sprain. It was going to be an uncomfortable next few days.

On Tuesday, as we were drinking our early morning coffee and icing my purple hand that resembled a balloon, I looked at my husband and said, "its time to go home. There is nothing we have here that we don't have better at home...aside from warm weather." There was no struggle. My mind was clear. The adventure has been worth everything we put into it, but as we talked, we discovered that the "fun" part was the stops along the way seeing our family and making all those new memories. 

In a few weeks it will be Thanksgiving. We will return to the Midwest for a week of quality time with those I love (my favorite thing), no work demands and nothing to do but enjoy every minute of the holiday. I am getting excited!

Tomorrow we head east with the goal of arriving home Sunday afternoon. We left PA exactly a month ago. It feels much longer. I'm excited to be back in my space. I've seen nothing on this adventure as beautiful as watching the sunrise above the Susquehanna River or set behind the mountains in rural Pennsylvania. I'll share a picture or two next week and we can enjoy it together. I'm going HOME.

Ciao!