I have gotten side-tracked. Bullet points since I last wrote:

• Our fourth friend Kimberly and her incredibly sweet dog Sweetie joined us at the end of our stay at White Oak Pastures. 

• We met some wonderful people at White Oak that I hope to write about at some point.

• The four of us made our way to Port St. Joe Florida on the Forgotten Coast. Two days in, we joined an event (Mind, Body and Spirits) hosted by Escapees, an RV organization. The “Hangout” focused on yoga, meditation, exploring this area, and a lot of socializing.

• An election happened.

• We celebrated Bob’s birthday.

Bob’s birthday walloped me. I didn’t expect it to be so hard. I cried on and off all day. We went on a pontoon boat tour of Dead Lakes. It is a mysterious, magical, other-worldly feeling place, very much in line with my mood. In the evening, we went to a local bar with great music. We toasted Bob and reminisced about him. Jamison’s on the rocks, Bob’s favorite drink (that I happen to like too) soothed the sadness in me. I ended the day feeling grateful for the friends around me who cared for me and loved me through the day, the texts and calls and love had from family and friends far away. 

The election walloped me. It’s been hard for me to write this last week because I couldn’t write and leave the election out of it. Yet, I felt like I shouldn’t write about the election because I didn’t want to offend or anger anyone, and didn’t want to stir anything up. But not writing about it felt like I would be leaving a big piece of my mind and heart out, and that’s just not how I want to write. 

After chewing on this for many days now, in the aftermath of the election, my biggest concern is the way our country is divided. In light of that, here is my commitment. Please hold me to it. Point out when I veer away from it. Hold my toes to the fire. 

I strive to not hate or feel opposed to any of my fellow Americans. I will work at not feeling superior to anyone, or feeling like I’m right or they’re wrong. I will try to understand other’s opinions, thoughts, beliefs, even when they make no sense to me. I will not describe, outwardly or inwardly,  anyone as evil, or stupid, or uneducated, or crazy.  I will remember that underneath all of our beliefs and ideas is a bunch of fear, and strong desire to make things better.

I will remember that if there is an enemy, it is the big money interests on both sides that manipulate us into being opposed to one another. It is the tactic they use, and I commit to understanding how I let myself be manipulated. I refuse to participate. We are all hurting in different ways, and I commit to seeing and attempting to understand that hurt. I commit to understanding that most of us have histories that involve being traumatized and abandoned. I commit to not measuring or assessing whose hurt is worse or more worthy of attention. That thinking divides me from others.

Being on the road is a gift. You meet so many people, and people extend kindnesses over and over and over again. The most predominant thing I experience coming from strangers is kindness. 

Last night, a woman I met here at the Hangout invited our little group of friends into her rig for dinner. I know she voted for a different candidate for president than I did. She is kind, generous,  gracious, intelligent, devoted to her family, interesting, fun and beautiful. I know that if I looked at her from afar, like in a photo, say, as a supporter of the other candidate, I would make up a story about her that would be completely untrue. 

The other day, Debbie and I were taking a long walk on the beautiful white sand and chatting about tattoos. We were musing about what kind of tattoo we would have if we were to have one. I was trying to convince her that we should. She talked about the possibility of a tattoo with a saying or quote. I thought about what saying I would want to tattoo on me if I were to do that. I told her that my favorite all time quote is from the Buddha: “Hatred never ceases by hatred, but by love alone is healed. This is an ancient and eternal truth.” That is kind of long for a tattoo. Debbie suggested shortening it. How about “By love alone.”

Yes…by love alone. By love alone will we be healed. Sending love to y’all.