Remember this Feeling

You are a free woman! The first day on the road, you drove all day long. Your stuff was packed in all around you, you had a loaf of homemade bread to snack on, you had an ipod full of your favorite music, and you had hundreds of miles of highway ahead of you. That night you stopped when you chose to, and pulled into a small campground in Tennessee.

Because you are a kind person, and a female who travels alone, the kind people you encounter just want to help you. At the campsite, the woman checking you in put you in a site between two RV's with "older people who will keep an eye on you". And because you are a kind person, you gratefully accept their help.

Later, tucked in between the two RV's you create a nest for yourself in the car, it is too cold and late to bother digging out the tent just for the night. It is too large and anyway its hidden underneath too much stuff. So covered in blankets, with the driver's seat reclined, the steering wheel up and out of the way, and your legs thrown over the passenger side dash, you nestle in for the night. You read a bit of "War and Peace" by the light of the car dome, and turn the car on to blast the heat and fill the car with warmth one last time. Before falling asleep, you think about the way this night must sound "I drove until it was dark and I was exhausted, then I pulled into a campground, and slept in my car for a few hours before continuing valiantly on in the morning." The way it sounds and the way it feels are very different things however. To you this night feels like a victory. You are traveling, making your own choices, and at the mercy of your fellows. You feel great. You are so happy.

Congratulations You!