It is a grey day in Florida. Cool mist clings with a gentle embrace to every surface. The moist air excites my naturally curly hair into a riot of untamable ringlets. Even though the natives walk about bundled up in jackets and sweaters, I sit comfortably in a tank top, enjoying the salt-tinged breeze.
It has been nearly six years since we sold our house in southern Missouri, ruthlessly pulling up the roots that had grown over the seven years I lived there. I’ve always been a “take the leap and figure it out as you go” kind of girl. Change is uncomfortable, and I don’t think there is ever a perfect time. So we plunged into the unknown and moved into Beatrice, the Sprinter van we call home.
Beatrice was a blank canvas, just a big metal box filled with potential. Over the next couple of years, we made her a comfortable, functional home all while traveling to nearly every state in the US. She isn’t perfect, but she does everything we need her to and our time with her has taught us so much about ourselves and the world around us. We have seen some of the most beautiful country you can imagine. Great redwoods, rugged mountains, rocky shores, and sand dunes the color of snow. We have also seen ubiquitous strip malls, tent cities full of our homeless, and roadways littered with Wal-Mart bags and plastic water bottles. Life is both bitter and sweet.
The desire to put down roots again has slowly grown stronger through our travels. I miss belonging to a place, watching things grow, creating and caring for a home. The thrill of discovery began to pale and our life started to seem very shallow and selfish. What were we doing for the greater good? Where was our community? Most of all, I hated being so dependent on what I consider to be a rather fragile food and energy system.
As often happens in our life, an amazing opportunity to buy a few acres in eastern Missouri fell into our lap at just the right time. Of all the places we traveled, Missouri is still our first choice for a permanent home. The weather there is not subject to real extremes, yet there are four complete seasons. There is ample rainfall and I love the forests. We were in Wyoming when I stumbled upon the property, but with my usual “jump in” attitude we purchased it sight unseen.
It was two months before it cooled off enough to head for Missouri. We spent that time thinking and planning as much as we could. When we finally got to our little patch of earth, we were thrilled and began planning and working in earnest. We won’t be able to stay there year-round until the house is done, which is why we’re in Florida now. Still, my heart is in Missouri and we are using this time to perfect our plans even more.
I can’t wait to get Home!