Too Fast Travel and the Do Nothing Day.

When we first started our RVing journey* we tried to do a LOT of things.

First, we traveled way too much and too quickly: we would drive 300 miles, stop for the night, get up early, pack up, and do it all again. In our defense, we were trying to get to Cleveland, to visit my Midwest Bestie, as fast as we could. But it was exhausting and we were spending a fortune on diesel, so for us, traveling that way was not sustainable.

Second, we tried to do ALL the touristy things in an area, for the short amount of time that we were there. In Idaho we swam in Lake Coeur D'Alene. In Montana we visited a state park and a prairie dog sanctuary. We explored Theodore Roosevelt State Park in North Dakota twice, and we only stayed in the state for a week. It made for a great adventure, but it was too much, too quickly, and too expensive.

Here's the thing: we are going to be doing this for a while. At this point we are looking at two years, minimum, but we may continue on for as long as it stays fun. But we stay a month in places now, and we've been in San Marcos, a college town outside of Austin, for two months and are thinking about staying for a third. This place has a heated indoor pool.

We do not have to rush. We don't have to hurry through and make sure we see stuff, with the exception of the Gulf Coast, which will probably disappear, eventually. (Oh, sad and depressing thought!) We thought Kentucky was exquisitely beautiful, but only spent about eighteen hours there. It's okay. We can go back.

With all of that in mind, allow me to introduce you to one of my favorite type of days: The Do Nothing Day, or the DND, for short.

We did not have DNDs back at the farm. The nature of farming is that there is NEVER nothing to do. Even in January and February, when the garden is sleeping and goat babies haven't been born yet, there is still lots to do. Chickens, for example, don't care what day it is or how cold it is outside. They still need to be fed and there are always projects to work on to get ready for the next season.

Do Nothing Days are exactly what they sound like: days with no clear plans or direction, and we usually don't leave the RV park. Today was a DND and while the little kids took naps, I introduced the big kids to Baz Luhrmann's Romeo+Juliet.

Do Nothing Days sometimes happen after we've made a trip to a used book store and everyone has a lovely stack of new things to read. Sometimes they occur because we are sick or had a bad sleep; when you live in 450 square feet, if one person wakes up, you all wake up. But mostly DNDs are about freedom and NO PLANS.

Here are some things that have spontaneously occurred on Do Nothing Days:

-We discovered that Brofessor (oldest child) loves Shakespeare almost as much as his mama does.
-We found that we can grow celery in our RV, in little cups of water. Now they're everywhere and adorable.
-Robo-Kid (third child) taught himself to swim.
-Much sourdough bread has been created, including focaccia and beignets.
-Creato-Girl (second child) found an Art History class on Khan Academy and discovered a new passion.
-Much screen time. No shame and no regrets. Video games are both valuable and healthy, if used appropriately.

Do Nothing Days are essential for my family's creativity and well-being, even if they only involve popcorn and movies. They restore our spirits and refresh our minds, give us quality together time (or alone time, with everyone on headsets,) and help calm what can be an overwhelming lifestyle. Everyone needs Do Nothing Days! Go forth and don't make plans!



*Note: I love to say things like "When we first started," but honestly, we've been doing this for seven months and we are FAR from experts. Just so you know.