One good thing about my itinerary is that I will be having alone times, but then spending time visiting friends. I had a few days here in Acadia National Park to myself, and was perfectly fine with myself. I remember decades ago I did some solo hikes in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and had the deep understanding that I was comfortable being by myself. But since then there hasn’t been much aloneness, until last year. Living in a van highlights aloneness, but even though it is all very new, I feel confident I can navigate the feelings that arise. Yesterday I did a huge bike ride, around the whole park loop AND all the way up Cadillac Mountain, 3.5 miles. I did a total of about 40 miles, and 10 of them were extra because I missed the (unmarked) pathway into the campground and had to go all the way around and back through the entrance to the park.
So today was a chill day. I took two naps, walked down to the ocean (via the path I missed) and sat listening to the pounding surf. I made a delicious dinner of steak, roasted Brussels Sprouts and salad. Making dinner is a real activity! And then everything has to go away. This is a truth of van life; you can do one activity at a time, and then everything has to be put away and then you can do something else.
I haven’t broken out the music studio yet, but I did play some guitar and my hand pan today. It is also a somewhat new feeling to be playing music purely for its own sake. I wonder how it will take shape as time goes on. I hope to keep a sense of exploration, without the dreaded, “In order to…” I can afford the luxury of not having to develop skills in order to get work, but purely for enjoyment and curiosity.
I miss my friends and the Piano Meditations on Wednesdays, but at some point followers of this blog will see some musical offerings!