Six Months on the Road, Margarita Wine Coolers and Self Care

     It was six months ago today that I began my new adventure. Every experience in my life has prepared me for this time in my life, like pieces in a giant puzzle that has taken 60 years to assemble. The lesson from childhood was that I had to be self-sufficient because no man would ever take care of me, and both failed marriages were graduate courses in self-sufficiency. I have no doubt I can take care of myself. I was an only child; I am not lonely being alone. Six months ago, stripped of my job, my marriage, and my house, I was free to leave. I felt like everything was falling apart, but it was really coming together. In A Deep Breath of Life, Alan Cohen says the bad we experience serves as fertilizer for the good that comes later. I like that visualization.       
     Sometimes the Universe has to beat me over the head before I get the message. First, I stumbled upon a deserted RV park with no distractions. Then the weather has kept me inside except for brief breaks to walk Gracie. Then I discovered that the light above the computer, which I thought was broken, operates from another switch, and is the brightest light in the Goose. Then my favorite email writing newsletter had a feature on the editorial needs of Family Motor Coaching. So I started gathering Writer's Guidelines from the RV lifetstyle magazines--Family Motor Home Coaching, Motorhome, Trailer Life, Highways, MotorHome. I found a website and ordered 35 mm slide film and dusted off my old camera. Don't ask me why, but magazines insist on transparencies. I was a freelance writer for about 15 years, writing mostly for the motorcycle industry (check out www.writer-sharon-kay.com) and the Universe is letting me know it’s time to start writing for publication.
     Gracie and I were walking last Saturday when she was attacked by a pitbull. Thankfully, two men heard me screaming and came running and beat the dog off. Gracie has a bite mark on her shoulder which bled copiously. I am so angry at the negligent owner who let a vicious dog run loose, so grateful to the men who helped us, and guilty that I could not protect my gentle Gracie. She was a little stiff Saturday night but seems fine now. Wednesday the park owner gave us a ride in her golf cart to do laundry. Gracie was really scared. I tried to point out that all the dogs here ride around in golf carts, but she’s not buying it.
    I ran out of E&J brandy and got tired of white wine, but discovered Seagrams Escapes Margarita Wine Coolers. Makes the rain a lot more tolerable.
     I’m reading A Deep Breath of Life, Defy Gravity:Healing Beyond the Bounds of Reason by Caroline Myss, and The Power of Intention by Dr. Wayne Dyer. I watched The Lincoln Lawyer and Slum Dog Millionaire since I got here. I have worked out four days a week every week since I started this journey. Lee reminded me how much I enjoy yoga, so I added yoga, either with The Prozac Lady with the soft hypnotic voice on Full Body Workout on the BYU channel, or a Rodney Yee DVD a couple times a week. I meditate every day. Taking the time for self care is luxurious.