16 Jun 2 Years in the Making Then…

When my husband died four years ago, as much as I was grief stricken, I knew that we had lived a rich full life and I was so very thankful. We had not waited until later as for us later never came. However, I am left with the wonderful memories of a journey well travelled.

We had bought a sailboat although we didn’t know how to sail and amidst the nay-sayers who thought we were being foolish. It turned out that it wasn’t a foolish thing to do at all. We learned how to sail in and out of our local harbor and eventually to even go further out to sea – so to speak. For many summers we sailed forth into great adventures where we would often lay anchor and while away the time together – even writing a book: The Boomerang Effect.

A couple of years after Joe passed away, I realized how fortunate I was to have lived so fully and to have all those priceless memories and so a dream was born.  I got busy writing a book/journal which told my life story but also provided a calendar/journal for readers to start living their own journey. And with that book was the book signing/speaking tour called Don’t Die Before You’re Dead to inspire others to not wait but rather to live now while you can, able bodies and mentally strong.  The message was “You might not be able to do everything, but you can do something.”

Then Covid struck in early 2020 and the idea of my six month cross Canada tour became completely uncertain. People I spoke to didn’t want to make plans. Nothing could be firmed up as we waited to see how things were going to shake out. As it was, my regular clients ended up cancelling, hopefully postposing, workshops and presentations as meetings were discontinued. We didn’t know that it would become so severe well into 2021.

My message is still valid and in good faith I set out to find the perfect vehicle to convert to my mini-camper for my solo tour. I was not to be put off as I lived my message of living as fully as I can.

I found this van and promptly set out to work with my son to do the conversions. He was amazing. In spite of laughing at my thought of having a “hallway” in such a small space, he listened and created one for me. With all the other work he had to do, it was finished for the lifting of our lockdown order. Two days later I hit the road.

My plan has changed. It would seem that now my tour is a journey of discovery. A discovery of Ontario for this summer; a discovery of how well suited the camper van is to my road-tripping and of course self discovery as I learn how to create this wonderful adventure on my own.

As restrictions lift, it is harder to make the decision to make the tour next year. The point is though that I am not cancelling and that I am open to choose my own adventure now. This will be on my dime as opposed to having sponsors or the speaking engagements but none-the-less it will be filled to the brim with new memories to cherish.

I have only been gone 11 days and I have already met some amazing people who are eager to follow my journey. I am happy for them but want them not to just live through me but to fully live themselves. I hope you will be one of them.

Have your journeyed lots? Got some tips and advice for me? Come join my community at:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/dontdiebeforeyouredead

Contact me here:

www.dontdiebeforeyouredead.ca

www.merrimacartney.com

Keep well and stay safe. Happy trails to you.