How do you measure a Year?
Today marks 365 days on the road living the #VanLife dream. Today marks “Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes” of truly feeling grateful for this journey. Therefore, please indulge me for a moment while I reflect and paraphrase one of the greatest songs from one of the greatest musicals/movements of all time: “Seasons of Love” from “RENT”:
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes
How Do you Measure-measure a year?
In Daylights – In Sunsets
In Midnights – In cups of coffee
In Inches – in Miles
In Laughter – in Strife
…
How about Love?
Measure in Love
Seasons of Love
…
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Journeys to Plan
…
It’s Time Now- To Sing Out
Though the Story Never Ends
Let’s Celebrate
Remember A year In The Life Of Friends
…
Remember in Love
Measure in Love
If you don’t know the premise of RENT it’s about friendship, love & loss during the AIDS epidemic. It’s heartbreaking and touching and as I write the lyrics I’m teary eyed both reflecting on the play and our year. Time is powerful. During the last 12 months we have not faced topics as challenging as those presented in RENT, but the way the characters measure their year seems an appropriate way to sum up our 12 month journey thus far. We’re not done yet, but March 29, 2016 to March 29, 2017 seems worth pausing and noting.
So, here’s how the Roaming Robos measure our year, our Five Hundred Twenty-Five Six Hundred Minutes:
23,000 miles driven
37 states
3 countries
6 ferries
3 bike ferries
1 air plane flight
38 American National Parks, Monuments, Lakeshores, Seashores
3 Canadian National Parks
287 Nights slept in the Van (7 in hotels)
24 Pure Barre Classes for me
1 Pure Barre Class for Jon 😉
9 hours volunteering
3 Drive In Movies
12 Movies in theaters
20,000 + photos taken
3 tattoos collectively
365 sentences in a “One Sentence Per Day Journal”
2 trips to urgent care (one human ankle, one puppy leg)
1 likely broken rib for which we didn’t seek medical attention 😬
3 Laundromats (thank you friends & family!)
5 Instagram friends meeting = real friends
450 miles run combined
9,2000 miles ridden on our bikes combined
35 books read combined
1 van flat tire
2 bike flats
6 Hot Springs
Animals seen (not in a zoo):
33 bear (8 on bike)
8 moose
60 buffalo
3 zebra
3 camels
30 caribou
14 stone sheep
2 reindeer
20 mountain goat
20 seals
10 whales
8 otters
5 porcupine
5 ostriches
2 javelina
This trip is also referred to as the “Hug Everyone You Know Tour” and, rightly so, here are too many hugs to count. Feels good.
Countless emotional moments, vistas, adventures that can’t be summed up in one title or sentence. The next blog is about lessons learned on the road and concepts I’m hoping to hang on to as we transition slowly back in to the house. But for now, simple reflection.
