Can a Sweet Old Lady Travel Safely in the Arizona Desert Alone?
To be honest, there's no safe place in America to travel anymore.
Am I scared of traveling alone in the desert? Not at all. At 72 years of age, I'm aware of danger, which comes in various forms. Most of us are cautious of evil people, but we can also be Our Own Worst Enemy by not thinking “Safety First.”
Let me explain.
Realizing as I grow older, my eyesight is getting weaker, and my short-term memory becomes a problem at times. But it is all manageable and I'm able to enjoy the good life, the one I will describe for myself.
It all begins with a plan.
So, one day about three years ago, I asked myself some soul-searching questions. I was completely honest with myself.
What do you want to do with the rest of your life?
It was easier for me to determine first “ what I didn't want to do” to see what options were left for me to choose from.
I knew I didn't want to sit around my house and watch TV. I didnt care either about going out to eat in restaurants all the time. I don't care to party. I'm not a big fan of church activities.
What's left then for a woman like me?
Writing to make sense of my world
Since I mentioned the life I don't favor, let me cover a few things I do like and deem worthy of what earthly time I have left.
I like traveling in my grey camper van around the southwestern United States meeting new people, sightseeing, observing wildlife and living in a laid-back mood.
I prefer traveling alone or in a caravan. Since the van is only 75 square feet and I have two dogs, space is valuable real estate to me. However, traveling with organized caravan can be exciting especially if you meet up with like-minded people.
My aim is to avoid the rush of modern-day life as much as possible and do all the things I ever wanted to do, but didn't have the time because I was always too busy working a full-time job, sometimes working two jobs, one full-time and one part-time.
But all that's changed now.
And I like crafts. I like to sew by hand as I'm relaxing with a cup of coffee, love to crochet and now I’m honing my craft of writing.
Should you be interested in joining a caravan, there are several to choose from. I chose a 3 month, 300 mile caravan leaving from Yuma, Arizona. It works like this; you sign up online, then meet up at the designated time and place and join in with the caravan. It’s to join.
The caravan reminds me of an old western tv show that came out in the 50s call Wagon Train.
Do you remember the western “ Wagon Train”? Most caravans have a leader and an itinerary. You pay your own expenses and are free to leave at any time.
The caravan I chose camps on BLM( Bureau of Land Management) lands for 2 weeks at a time. Camping is free on BLM lands, but there’s no electricity. That’s not really a problem, because the gray camper van is equipped with solar.
Camping is a good way to socialize and enjoy the outdoors. Nearly all the people I’ve run into have an upbeat attitude. Most of them look on the sunny side of life.
Now that I've chosen to be a writer while traveling the southwestern US, I'm still working on a plan to be a consistent writer. While there are so many distractions, it’s highly important that I choose a time and place to write daily. This is a tool for writing I mentioned above.
And there's not a one-size-fits-all. My writing strategy may not work for you.
We humans are all made up of a complex set of emotions and desires. What inspires me may not inspire you in the least bit. While keeping that fact in mind, I've developed my own system of writing that works for me.
To begin with you need to set yourself up for success. In my case, I write on a legal size yellow pad and in a spiral notebook. Some writers like to type directly on the keyboard, not me. I find magic using my favorite pen and paper to push my flow state of mind and use color to highlight key points.
Recently, I've started using voice typing. With practice, I'm getting better and it saves me a lot of time. I go to google drive,click on tools, then click voice recognition. Pretty simple. I copy and paste my content where I want it to go, then add my images and title. Last I edit everything before I hit the publish button.
Since I'm a morning person I write best when I first wake up, where I find my table arranged with pen and paper for writing. It seems that first cup of morning coffee and waking up charges my writing ambition.
Conclusion
It's wise when traveling to keep your doors locked, check your tires often, don't let yourself run out of gas, don't venture off alone on side roads or dangerous looking neighborhoods. Write to enjoy writing and make sense of your world.
Kindly,
Carol
Congratulations Carol