What are you so worried about?

Worries can control your life if you let them. No matter what your situation, if you focus on your worries they can consume you.

Before we left on this trip we spent a lot of time trying to address as many worries as we could. Months and months of planning and re-planning to account for all the difficulties that we might encounter along the way. Of course you can't plan for everything. There are always unexpected expenses and situations that arise along the journey.

When I was working at my last job, I worried about how effectively I was doing my job. Was I getting enough done each day or putting in enough time at the office? I had simultaneous personal worries. Was I spending enough time with my kids? Why can't I get all my work done at home that I want to finish? These were the things that filled my head as I went through my everyday life.

I had hoped that when we left for the trip I could leave many of my worries behind. It would be difficult to work on a house that was thousands of miles away. My concerns at the office would obviously be left at my old desk. So I should have little to worry about, my mind should be at rest. Funny thing about my mind though, it just replaced my old worries with different ones. Now instead of worrying about what items I was out of at work, I spent my time thinking about the tires, and the oil and the transmission. I listened to every sound my new home made as we drove. Every squeak and knock and bump made my mental list until I was able to discern the cause.

I spent weeks obsessing about the transmission. Was it strong enough to handle the load of the RV and the trailer? How much would it cost to repair if it did fail? Over and over I rolled it around in my brain as I drove.

So when the RV did break down on a quiet road in the NY state park all my worries were validated. Right?

It took this major engine failure to convince me that I could worry all day long about a hundred things and it wouldn't change the outcome.

My new plan is to be as prepared as possible. Check the oil, the transmission fluid and have regular checks preformed and accept that that is all I can do. Even with regular maintenance there will be breakdowns. It applies to RVs, marriages, work and life. Besides, filling the time between with worry and angst is no way to travel.