Impermanence

As we arrived to our new campground, we saw that it wasn't the fanciest of campgrounds. It was quite barren and the noisy highway that bordered it from above, was hard to ignore. Yet we had a nice flat pull through campsite and the people were warm and friendly. Half of the campers there were working nearby on the pipeline and related jobs to this industry, the other half passed through within a night or two. We would have a week to explore, for we arrived on Sunday, November 29th and would be leaving the following Sunday. We enjoy being in one place for a bit, since we have our car to go scope out the area. As it turned out, we were reminded that everything happens for a reason and as this week unfolded, we knew once again, we were right where we were suppose to be.

I was able to bring a thought to the forefront of my mind that had been percolating for some time now as we traveled. Change. All of the change that humans go through and how we manage change. Specifically on this trip, I pondered my process of adapting to a new campground, upon each arrival.

I begin with optimism, 'oh this is fun' I say to myself or possibly out loud to Doug and Maggie. Then, as we hone in, I find myself trying to assimilate to the newness as I play devil's advocate, as if out of self-protectiveness. Oh, this campsite is on a steep hill or this one is small and we have to leave our trailer somewhere else or there is a highway that is noisy. My antenna goes up that this is different, there is a change. Ruh roh.

Trying not to pay any attention to those thoughts, I continue to go about the business of setting up camp. Doug unhooks the trailer, I put down our legs and then out our arms (levelers and slide out) and as he does outside work, I set up the interior of our RV for another chapter in our adventure.

I always marvel at how in seemingly no time, I have adjusted to our new home. The steepness of our site becomes a really cool perch, the logistics of having our trailer parked separately becomes gratitude for having a place to park it and the noise of the highway becomes white noise that I choose to imagine it's like the roar of the ocean.

Since change is the only thing we can count on, it's been in my favor to embrace it. That's easy to say when it's something simple like a campsite. How do we accept change when it's something much more dear to us, like the loss of a loved one - both in furry and human form?

Impermanence. This is a concept that my beloved yoga teacher Karina taught us, embracing impermanence is a key component to living in peace.

Although I had experienced people who did just this, long before knowing the concept; my grandma Dona, my best friend Cindy and my dear Dad, who all embraced their impermanence as they journeyed peacefully to the other side, void of self pity. I never had a way to articulate it succinctly, until knowing Karina. She not only taught it to us during our 200 hour YTT (Yoga Teacher Training), she ended up exemplifying this concept herself, during her time of transition.

Not only does everything change, we don't have a damn thing to say about it when and how change will look. Control is an illusion that I have an ongoing dance with accepting. So, when Doug, Maggie and I took off on our trip, losing her during our trip was something that nobody foresaw, nobody.

This picture is from Monday, October 30th, less than a day from Maggie's passing.

Her vitality and playfulness ended up having no correlation to her lifespan or our ability to control how our trip was going to play out. That she ran with the best of them on our cousin's farm. Even that the local vet who tried to revive her said that he thought she was 4 years old, when in actuality she was 10.5. It's all a moot point now and what I see as a poignant example of how little control we really do have and that ultimately impermanence is a fact for every being. I'm at peace when I can remember this and let go, then I'm able to be in the now.

For when I'm in the now, I can put one foot in front of the next. That's what we did the rest of the week. It began with trick or treaters at the foot of our RV cabin door. Fortunately we had just visited Hershey and had a bunch of candy to share. They each got huge handfuls of candy, since our candy/kid ratio was way off.

A little while after that, another knock at our door. This time it was Anita, a lady who we had briefly met at Salem Animal Hospital. She was standing in the hallway, as we exited out the side door, as I bawled in disbelief from Maggie's passing. She remembered that we said we were camping at Dixie Caverns and saw our little white car, which helped her find us. After baking all day and thinking of us, she brought us a basket with coffee, baked apple delight and a nice card. There really are so many wonderful people in the world.

Thursday, we hit up yet another AA meeting but this time to also celebrate my 35 years of sobriety, or what I like to call 'uninterrupted reality.' We found a meeting close by that was really wonderful. The 6 or 7 people there were all so friendly and welcoming. I asked if I could celebrate my birthday and they said, of course and they even happened to have a 35 year token. I really enjoyed the comfort that familiarity brings, while listening to some of the common readings that are shared in meetings all over the world. It was very grounding for me.

Friday we ventured to the edge of our campground to check out what they are famous for, Dixie Caverns. Turns out a beloved dog named Dixie fell through a hole in the mountain back in 1920 with her owner and friend who were both boys. They ran and got the local farmer who owned the land and together they were able to retrieve Dixie. Three years later it opened as a local attraction and has been open ever since. Some improvements were made in the 50's and again in the 80's which made navigating this large cavern all the more easy. Here are some pics from that day.

Lastly, we finally ventured out for some sightseeing on Saturday, knowing that we'd be leaving the next morning. It was a beautiful drive and it felt good to be in the here and now. We headed to Roanoke to find the Mill Star.

Here are some fun facts about that:

• It's 88.5 ft tall

• It weighs 10K pounds

• It has 2,000 ft of neon tubing

• It is a symbol of Roanoke's ambition for progress and innovation

• It has been distinguished as being the largest, free standing star in the world

This is the only pic we took, just got the plaque forget to snap the star.

Well, as hard as it was to leave what we initially saw as a less than ideal campground, it ended up being a very significant place in our journey. My heart dropped as we drove away, for it felt as though we were leaving a part of our family behind...well, we were.

If this heartache is the price we pay for the treasured moments and countless memories that will last a lifetime... I would sign up over and over again for 10 years with Magnolia.

Lokah Samastah Sukinho Bhavantu = All Beings Everywhere Be Happy and Free

~ Namaste