In the Transition Zone

We recently drove from the south to the north end of Joshua Tree National Park. This is recommended so you can see the transition from low desert, the Sonora, to high desert, the Mojave. Due to the differing temperatures, weather and elevation, these two areas of the park are uniquely different habitats. As you make the drive from one end to the other, through the middle, you find yourself in the transition zone. In this crossover, you can see the change as well as some plants and animals from both zones.

When we move our house from one home base to the next, we find ourselves in the transition zone. There is a bittersweetness to leaving a place with people you’ve become fond of and knowing the next place may become just as special, which is exciting. We were sentimental in the days leading up to our exit from Almont, visiting favorite places to find them changed to autumn views and saying farewell to friends and the life we had made. As we drove away, I welled up with tears. And then had to tell myself… pay attention here, you’re driving a house! 

Road trips can be exciting and we embraced the new views and warmer temperatures on our way to San Diego. We looked forward to arriving at an RV Park in Vista, where we were expected to start workamping in just one week. We would visit the beach to watch the sunset, reconnect with old friends and find new treasures TBD. The great unknown can be romantic.

You can make a plan. But circumstances beyond your control insist on changes to said plan. Having a mindset to be nimble and adaptable is helpful. While our spiritual practice does prepare us for this, walking the walk of surprises is still not easy. There are some tools that helped us along the way.

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Day one, we made it smoothly over Cochetopa Pass to Alamosa, a bookend to right where we started our season in Colorado. We parked the house only to discover an electrical puzzle. Our 50 amp plug was fried. The quick answer is that the property owners helped us reset the power and replace the plug, but the emotional and practical roller coaster that got us the solution for our house was wild. A good reminder as we headed to new unknown territory: we are not in control; hold on lightly, let go gracefully.

Day two, Khara woke up with the sore throat feeling that there was more to come. Who doesn’t love driving your home/20K lbs with an oncoming cold?! But we arrived to Albuquerque safely and got a free upgrade to a pull thru spot at a casino/rv park outside Albuquerque during the International Hot Air Balloon Festival. Even with the cold, we were still basically on track. But as our spiritual work reminds us, the only constant is change. So…

Day three, an email from the nice woman who had hired us in San Diego detailed how she had been fired the day before and wanted to caution us about questionable practices with the company. Good grief! While this question of what to do now really wanted answering, we tried to keep in mind: First Thing’s First. We had a long drive ahead to get to Flagstaff; let’s just focus on that. And we did because with construction traffic and a pretty big storm, it made us question whether we should even find a closer spot to stop for the night. Again, what are we going to do?! Meanwhile, Jesse was also now not feeling well. But step by step, we made it safely to Flagstaff and set up during a rain break in a narrow, muddy, pine filled RV Park.

Day four, we rested. And stayed put. And let news about our job settle in. Taking time allowed us some self care and acceptance of what is. Given a little breathing room, decided to not rush further. After all, if it’s rushed, it ain’t spiritual. We found a spot in Phoenix where we could park for a few nights and catch up with some old friends, we hadn’t originally thought we’d have time to see.

Day five, lovely uneventful day traveling down to Phoenix. Beautiful sunset with palm trees. Decided we would not go to the planned job in Vista. Wondered what in the world to do now. But having made a decision, this gave us space to reimagine a new path and possibility. Surrender can be freeing.

Day six, with our brains caught up with heavy thoughts in the past (what worked/didn’t work on recent travel days) and the future (where should we go next; how can we find a new gig in SD?), we set an intention to Drop the Rock and Just be Present. As we were starting to feel better from the head colds, we restocked the groceries, called our friends and played some pickle ball at the park. Some local kids there were curious about the game. So after watching us for a while, we invited them to try it. Then we handed over our paddles and balls, so they’d have a set to continue on with once we’d left. Sometimes life presents you with opportunities to be of service to others. It’s a good sign of awareness when you are open to them.

Day seven, we continued to Keep it Simple: had breakfast with Josh & Daniella, our old neighbors from Cinnamon Path. Such a nice reconnect with what home is. Toured Phoenix a bit. Getting off a very focused path for a while can help you zoom out and offer fresh Perspective. We booked a week at an RV Park near Palm Springs/Joshua Tree a few hours outside San Diego, where we could make a new plan.

Day eight: traveled to Sky Valley Resort. Set up smoothly and walked over for a soak in the mineral hot springs pools. Ah…

That week at Sky Valley: reached back to volunteer program with San Diego County Parks to learn about current opportunities, which all sounded great but seemingly couldn’t progress fast enough for us to get into a new spot in a week’s time. Also, our current resort offered a 3 month special, at basically half price. Paid spots in San Diego were more expensive (for if we wanted to find something short term while waiting for the park spot to open up) and this place seemed fairly comfortable for road weary Vincents (hot mineral pools, tennis, pickle ball, close to a national park, likely plenty of jobs in the Palm Springs area). So we decided to stay put through the holidays, and as they say in Altered Carbon, Take What is Given. Let’s learn about this place and embrace what we find. Maybe San Diego in the New Year?

While this narrative summarizes some of our time in the Transition Zone, living it held plenty of nuance. Much of this navigation was stressful, disappointing, sentimental, and weirdly thrilling at times. There is great insecurity in worrying about: what to do now that we don’t have a target destination in Vista; how our old kitty with kidney disease is faring with all this unsettling; where is an available, safe, decent, affordable sport to park for the next couple days that will accept our alternative RV; how sick are we; and if this has all been a mistake and we might be going crazy. There is also comfort in: having a partner to do this with; setting up the house to find everything working; a hot dinner at the end of the day; taking a “pause” to let your emotions settle before making a decision; and noticing beauty out in the world that has nothing to do with what is going on in your life. We try to work in faith that if you just do the next right thing, solutions may reveal themselves.

So the next time we venture into the transition zone with all our plans for a journey, may we remember the words of one of our favorite meditation guides, Tamara Levitt. 

“Ideally we hold expectations as a compass that points the way, not as a map that dictates every step of the journey.”