Community~~~~the center is in my head....

Currently I am sitting inside out RV - space #53 of Gilbert Ray State Park, SW Tucson area. It's been gorgeous outside, although the wind is gusting at a good clip. Lola and Lucy are both asleep in their baskets, conveniently located in front of windows with the Sun warming our space.  Saguaros surround our space, we have a long distance view of the valley below us. 

I have a blessed life. It's true - I do. However, lately it feels,  well-unfulfilled.  There is something I am suppose to be doing and I have yet to figure that piece out. Recently in meditation the awareness that something was missing  was revealed. It feels like a longing, it haunts me. Am I imagining it? I don't think so.  I have  for years had a desire to work as some sort of exercise instructor and I could never figure out how to support myself with that as a job…so I'd let it go. Whether it was yoga or aerobics the desire didn't leave.  It still hasn't, so when we get home I'm going to do a bit of investigation to see what is available in my town to become a yoga instructor.

In tree or dog years - I am old. Inside I feel much, much younger…so I drift off into the world of yoga teacher training and wonder whether I could "that"? Not so much to support myself, but as a means of community as we travel. It would also keep me engaged in fitness outside the 3-4 mile walks that  my husband and I do together.

'Community'  has become a new word for me. Last week over laundry I met another woman, a few years older than I, as we did our laundry.  Funny thing about laundry facilities….no matter who you are, laundry evens the playing field. Everyone has dirty laundry…doing it in RV parks is a bit easier than some of those suburban coin operated places that one approaches with care.  I digress…Back to community  with Lenore, she and her husband are from Wisconsin and have now spent the last 3 winters  in the Tombstone area of AZ, for a variety of reasons which they compromised to reach.  She used the word community and it resonated.  I also felt an instant connection with her - which at the time felt odd, as I think of myself as a bit of a loner.

At home I have a 'community' of women and activities that I miss.  I am wanting to create that for myself on the road - teaching a yoga class when we are parked for a period of time would be a way to engage that concept.  At least the exploration will stimulate new dendrites and maybe a larger community for me.

Ciao~

A "RANT" about "facilities"

Bathrooms are a necessity room! A "needs to be" clean bathroom/restroom has become a pet peeve of mine. Until recently I would take note and move on before actually using a facility that was in need of cleaning in a major way. When traveling and no "rest area" is available when nature calls, the next town with a Mickey D's gets my business. I loathe those portable "potty" barns, however in desperation I will use one AND make darn sure I don't touch ANYTHING inside other than the door lock - and then I sanitized like crazy! I have highly developed thigh muscles...

Recently, during the last week, I have had the misfortune and the pleasure of being confronted with the worst and the best of public restroom facilities.  We recently stopped at a restaurant in Benson AZ. I am one of those people who needs to wash their hands after eating - am freakish about this. But I digress...once done with my meal I went to wash my hands. The room was a mess and I was instantly wishing I'd visited it prior to my meal. The good news was the manager appeared and in front of us informed her wait staff that they hadn't been checking and would need to do so in the future. Then she went to clean the room. If I want Mexican food in the future, I'll go back knowing that the bathroom isn't a hazard area to be avoided.

Earlier this week we visited the Chiricahua National Monument http://www.nps.gov/chir/index.htm - kudos to the National Park Service!!! Both parks we visited had restrooms that were almost pristine! One was located at the visitor center, so that should be a given...however, the other was 8 miles off the beaten path! Not only was it spotless they had a waste basket AND hand sanitizer! A full container in both locations! I was stunned and thrilled.

US National Park Svc - AZ - KUDOS!

We visited a historic hotel in Douglas, AZ - so much effort to maintain the elegance of the past was evident throughout the lobby. Then why was their lobby women's room disappointing? Walking in was fun, looked quaint and clean, deco tiles around the waiting area - trim and grooming mirror.

Lovely.. right?

Only to find this >>>> around the corner. Come on people...paint the area that now reveals that you removed a MUCH larger mirror. Tacky, really tacky!


But after this frustrating visit and we return to our RV my guy decides to cure our own bathroom window leak! We can now say that we temporarily rolled over to 'trailer trash' - if only for the night-for the temps dropped into the teens.

And yes, it is what you might imagine it is!

Our trailer trash moment - eh, night

Cheers...

Blowing in the wind-while trying to stay put.

San Pedro River....


Not far from our site

Here I sit, inside our RV near Tombstone, AZ - the sun is shining. It all looks good, that is until the whole RV vigorously shifts from side to side. The wind is blowing 30-40 miles per hour! I'm waiting for Mike to complete his search of our next great RV spot - nearer to Tucson and one that does not cost a freaking fortune.  We are mostly prepared to go on a hike at the Chicicahua National Monument park today, just need to get him re-focused.

Being on the road since the first of November has been fun, adventurous and, at times, amayzing! However, I miss my women friends, yoga classes, the accessibility of Trader Joe's AND my hairdresser.
So there are days that I struggle to remain centered and present in the day. Prayer and meditation helps, so do frequent calls, Facebook and email also helps with adjustmenting my attitude. I perserve!

The fun part is learning about the history of a specific area - I have learned factos that my grade school history teacher never ever mentioned. Example would be that Wyatt Earp - that bastion of justice and law enforcement married Sadie Jo, a prostitute working at the Bird Cage Theatre/Bordello.  Now that wasn't part of any history lesson I had as a child. The photo above shows a picture of Sadie Jo, Wyatt (lower right) her "ill fame" license which Earp had signed and Sadie's nude photo for her former 'live-in lover' Sheriff Behan. 

I have no judgement on her morals - prostitution was legal in those days. While I personally wouldn't work in the business, I feel that making it legal today would insure the health of the women, possibly insure legal age requirements to work, leave the justice system open to more violent crimes to prosecute and states where it was legal, such as Nevada, would have the ability to tax it, thus creating more revenue for their currently strapped budgets. And it just might help with the illegal sex trafficking issue that is so  rampant today. And it would stop law enforcement from focusing just on the women they arrest, which could be called harassment or profiling.

Just some thoughts. The wind continues to blow and we are getting ourselves ready to blow out with it.
Cheers!