Like so much dandelion fluff

This week I'll drive three hours to pick up our camper. I'll be zipping up tomorrow morning, getting on the road around 5 AM so I can get to the dealer in Round Rock around 9 AM. Plenty of time to stop for coffee, restroom breaks, maybe a bit of breakfast on the go. 

I'll be on my own on this trip, because Kara will be working. That's fine, actually, because I kind of dig long, solitary drives. They give me a chance to let my mind wander, to think about something other than my work or whatever else might be going on around me. I can let stories just occur to me, and I can fantasize about rewriting history a bit. You know ... nerdy writer stuff.

I'm excited about the camper. For some reason I absolutely cringe at the thought of referring to it as a trailer—but whatever I call it (RV, camper, pop-up, trailer) it more or less represents one very important thing in the lives of me and Kara—the first step.

There have really been a lot of first steps, honestly. Sort of a cumulative explosion of first steps, or maybe a Big Bang of first steps that are now all starting to collapse into a whole new universe for us to explore. This camper isn't what we'll live in full time, but it puts us so much closer to that goal than we've been to date. It's the next step, then, if not the first—all part of Phase 1.

Because I'm a nerd and a maker, I've been perusing the interwebz in search of interesting tricks and tips that we can use while traveling in the camper. I've found all sorts of cool things, like a pontoon-style kayak built from PVC pipe, and a whole playlist of RV mods to upgrade the pop-up. I love that stuff. A lot. 

Actually, come to think of it, that kind of stuff may be what appeals most to me about the whole RV life. The idea of having to fit what was once a 2,500+ square foot life into about 400 square feet, while continuing to do the things that are important, while continuing to have access to resources as I need them—that's very appealing. It's a challenge I'm willing to accept. Plus, I like tinkering with things, building things, repurposing things, and that seems to fit this whole RV lifestyle very snugly. 

I should write about that stuff more, right? I don't know if you'd enjoy reading that or not, but I'd really enjoy writing about it. So maybe there's a nice middle ground there. I'll tell the stories, and you can enjoy them or let them sort of drift into the wind like so much dandelion fluff. 

Anyway, tomorrow I drive. I'll be on the road for about eight hours total, once it's all summed up. I'll bring home the prize—the camper that will be the first launch into a new approach to life. And the whole time, I'll be thinking of new stories that will eventually be written down, turned into blog posts and short stories and novellas and novels. That part's for your as much as it's for me. That's how we all benefit from me taking a long drive, from me diving into life with both feet.

The New Year is coming. Another new chance to be a new you (and a new me). If I don't get the opportunity before then, I wish you the very best for a happy and healthy and amazing new year! Take care of yourselves. Read one of my books (because). And see you on the other side. It's going to be gorgeous there.

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Kevin Tumlinson is the author of more than 20 novels, and host/co-host of three podcasts, including the Wordslinger Podcast. Get his FREE three-book starter library when you register at kevintumlinson.com/starterlibrary