December 31, 2025 | Waterside RV Resort | Sebring, Florida

We started retirement on February 1, 2025 with grand plans to crisscross the country in our Land Cruiser (Yin) and RV (Yang) to explore the wonders of this country and bask in nature. True to the theme of this Blog, it was a constant balancing act, and we did our best to embrace things, Come What May.

The past 11 months have been a mix of shadow and reflection – casting dark figures during times of sadness and returning a mirror image of happiness – the Yin and Yang of things. As we stand on the cusp of 2026, we look back to uncover what we’ve learned and how we can step into a new year yet to be discovered.

Shadow

It’s hard to write about the times when something intercepts the light and casts gloom or darkness on us. Of course, we knew our plans might change and made adjustments when they did, but we didn’t anticipate a few jarring times that derailed us in whole or in part. We were successful in taking several camping trips, each going a bit farther to spend time with friends, family, and nature. But a series of falls for Mother in late May cut our trip short as we headed back to Florida from Michigan. She’s doing better now but has had several changes to her daily life – no longer driving, a pacemaker, and generally less strength and energy. Our longest planned trip (four weeks) in August to Colorado turned into a six-day stay outside Denver, and it was nice to see our dear friends and former colleagues there as well as some of the best nature in the country.

Second among the shadows is the state of our government and its blatant disregard for human decency and compassion. In our opinion, it’s darkly clouded with greed and self-interest. We’ve protested, prayed, and pleaded for simple common sense and a restored faith in our Constitution and the rule of law. Things “seem” to be turning slightly toward the light, but it’s difficult to know if the tide will turn and what it may leave in its wake.

Our third shadow has been the hardest – losing Olivia and Sophia on July 21. We spent our first five months of retirement with them by our sides, in our arms, and under foot. These two sweet girls deserved many more years of life and love with us, and our failure to avoid a tragic mistake continues to fill our hearts with grief. We find some comfort in spoiling our friends’ dogs (Rosie, Bitsy, Lucas, and Xena) as well as every dog at the RV resort in Sebring. It helps, but it’ll never be the same as those snuggles with our girls.

Reflection

It’s easier to list out dozens of fun, happy, and meaningful times that give back images of joy, wellbeing, and hope. Many of them were serendipitous and out-played what we imagined, like taking the helm of a sail boat on the open water or enjoying a narrated driving tour of the Garden of the Gods. These new adventures remind us how much beauty, peace, and wholeness there is in nature.

These same powerful reflections show up in many of the friends we connected with along our journeys this year. From Cheryl’s best friend from college and her amazing family to camping with friends despite a questionable campground, spending a week at a friend’s family farm in Michigan, seeing our goddaughter and her family in Canada, watching our niece’s step-daughter perform her first named role in the Rustin Community Theatre outside Shreveport, and being blessed by visits with many former colleagues and friends in Colorado, we are eternally grateful to have all of these (and many more) wonderful people in our lives who help us love, laugh, and live to the fullest.

And then there are all the times in between where some creative work happens. Cheryl successfully orchestrated a song she wrote for Marsha’s sixtieth birthday (a few years ago) and reworked it to perform for their friends’ sixtieth birthday celebration in August. She’s still working on the professional recording to share more widely and making progress on several pieces of her musical, Family. Volumes of poetry, the start of a few novels, and a screenplay are also in various states of beginning and slowly moving forward. Marsha completed a contract with a former colleague to craft an updated vision and mission for their global non-profit work with women and girls. She also supported former colleagues who found themselves out of work by reviewing resumes, coaching, and advising.

To light a candle is to cast a shadow.

This quote from Ursula K. Le Guin reminds us that every action, whether good or not so good, has consequences. It’s a balancing act that requires acknowledging both light and dark aspects of life. The same flickering candle that may be a shadow of sadness or a reflection of hope casts light either way. In both – shadow and reflection – we can grow and learn. Let’s do more of that in 2026.

June 1 — August 22, 2025 | Waterside RV Resort | Sebring, Florida

Yes, it’s been a while since we shared a post, and this is a longer one in three parts.

Intermission

We’ve been stationary at our lot in Sebring and will remain there for the rest of the year to stay close to Marsha’s mom. It is our intermission for now – pushing pause on the camping adventures in favor of giving more support to mother. In retrospect, the timing of our retirement seems fortuitous. Through our working years in Sebring, mother was fairly self-sufficient and able to do everything for herself. Since her fall in November 2024, things have declined to where she now needs our help to drive her to appointments, grocery shop, and spend more time with her playing cards, board games, and putting puzzles together. She’s still playing cards and mahjong twice a week with her friends, attending church, and going to bible study and fellowship group.

In another week, mother is evaluated for a pacemaker, and we’ll see where that takes us. She’s expressed an interest in a beach trip in December to celebrate her 95^th birthday. Here’s hoping she’s well enough for us to make that happen.

Heartbreak

On July 21, we lost Olivia and Sophia to heatstroke. It was our tragic mistake, and we have been grief-stricken ever since. It was a normal day – get up, turn off the air conditioner, open the window shade, unzip the dogs’ kennel and greet them, walk and feed them, make coffee, and snuggle on the sofa. We were to take Marsha’s mom for a doctor’s appointment that morning so our snuggle time was cut short, and we rushed a bit to gather the laundry, get the dogs back into their kennel, and head on our way.

We left without turning the air conditioner back on. We did not realize this until we were almost back home 5 hours later. We tried to revive them, calling the vet, and then racing to the animal hospital. It was too late.

How could we have forgotten to turn the air conditioner back on? HOW! This single mistake has wrecked our hearts with unbelievable grief and anguish. We loved those little girls with all our being and cannot imagine our adventures without them. Our arms ache to cuddle them, feel their kisses, see their adoring eyes, rub their fuzzy bellies, and heed their pesky barks for attention and food. We will remember them always and plan to spread their ashes alongside Molly, Happy, and Gabby at Bear Mountain State Park in New York when we head that way.

Colorado Connection

We had planned a five-week camping adventure to Colorado the month of August in large part to celebrate our friends’ 60^th birthdays, to connect with other friends and colleagues along the way, and visit with our niece and her family. Most of those plans were scrapped since we couldn’t stay away that long from mother. Instead, we flew to Denver for a long weekend to attend the birthday celebration and catch up with a couple friends in the area.

This trip was medicine for our souls. We visited the Garden of the Gods accompanied by John Denver songs and the Travel Storys app, and we took a long pause at the Balanced Rock. It was a wonderful reminder of our intention in retirement – to embrace fluctuations and find rhythms of balance, the Yin and the Yang of the universe.

The birthday celebration was modified due to an unexpected medical procedure for one of the hosts. Instead, we visited with them all by ourselves in their wonderful “tree” house surrounded by the mountains, hummingbirds, and crisp rain. We had adapted a song Cheryl wrote for Marsha’s 60^th birthday a few years ago to share with our friends, and we gave them a framed original of the score to commemorate their birthdays.

We connected with two other colleagues of Cheryl’s and a couple we’ve known for more than 25 years. We attempted to revisit Saint Mary’s Glacier, where we hiked some 25 years ago. Alas, it has become a tourist trap, and we opted not to retrace our steps. Even so, Colorado is beautiful and a welcomed change to the heat and flat terrain of Florida.

P.S.

Despite the twists and turns along our journey these past few months, we are still on the path to maintaining balance and embracing whatever comes, whether planned or unplanned, thanks to the people in our lives who hold us close and remind us we are loved. In the words of a John Denver song, “Friends, I will remember you, think of you, pray for you. And when another day is through, I’ll still be friends with you.”

May 16-June 1, 2025 | Michigan and Canada

This was our longest trip so far. We intended to be gone for three weeks; however, early into the trip, Marsha’s mom fell again, twice, While we did our best to support her long distance, it meant she would not be able to travel to Indiana as planned where we would meet up to spend time with family. Our gut instinct was to rush back home right away, but mother insisted we continue our trip. Since she’s 94 and has her wits about her despite the falls, we listen to what she says, mostly. Nevertheless, we decided not to do the Indiana and Mammoth Cave portions of the trip, and headed back to Sebring on May 29 and arrived at our RV lot back home on June 1.

This trip taught us a few key lessons about RV life and also opened us to new relationships. Both our Michigan and Canada friends have new people in their lives they introduced us to, and we did a little sniff test for them to give our thumbs up to their choice of significant others. We are very happy for both of them and look forward to hearing how their relationships evolve.

Sophia and Olivia also did a lot of sniff tests, which largely did not go well.
They are terrible house guests and sleep mates when they are out of their
well-defined environment. They haven’t been in many other people’s homes or around other pets, particularly three cats and another dog at the same time. This led us to board them while we were in Michigan and Canada so the households could function better and we could get some sleep.

Both of us rely a lot on gut feelings and do a lot of gut checks about things. Along this journey, we came to a few conclusions that more seasoned, fulltime RVers probably already know.

• It doesn’t matter how long between meetings, true friendships endure.
• Limit each day of travel to no more than 320 miles.
• Limit the number of consecutive days on the road to three.
• Stay at least three nights at each destination.
• Even if friends insist otherwise, stay in the RV to sleep so the dogs are in their happy space.
• Use Love’s RV Stops for single night stays on the road.
• Avoid exit 451 on 1-75 in Florida. It’s NOT RV friendly.

Research being done at the University of California Irvine suggests that our sense of smell helps to form memories and improve memory function even into our later years. Perhaps the memories we’ve formed on this latest adventure will be lasting because we took the time to do a few sniff tests.

*Thanks to our dear friend for this campsite flag. It’s quite fitting for this blog post.

April 21, 2025 | Waterside RV Resort | Sebring, Florida

We’ve let some time pass since our last posting primarily because we’ve been settling into six weeks at our “permanent” site in Sebring until our next adventure in mid-May. Since returning from Georgia, we’ve met up with some of Cheryl’s former work colleagues in Orlando for an intimate lunch and lots of conversation. Marsha was able to get a first-hand glimpse into Cheryl’s connections with a diverse group of passionate team members who truly believe it’s possible to change lives for good and make a difference in this world, starting with themselves. It was refreshing and a great reminder to prioritize our own health and wellbeing so we can be of service to others and make sure everyone has a fighting chance to thrive.

The meet up with Cheryl’s former colleagues came at a very good time to counterbalance the turmoil spun by the current U.S. administration. While we don’t intend for this blog to be political, it’s nonetheless an integral part of life and something we must balance, too. As we connect more with others in our life and listen to what’s happening not only in this country but across the globe, we know we must stand up, speak out, and take action to protect our core values and strong beliefs in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

We’ve been reading Heather Cox Richardson’s Letters from An American every day to ground ourselves in our history and understand just how much of that history continues to repeat itself decade after decade and century after century. Her post on April 18, 2025, about the 250^th anniversary of the lighting of the lanterns in Boston’s Old North Church, was so inspiring for such a time as this. We read this on the morning of April 19 as we prepared to attend a 50501 protest in Sebring. The day before, we gathered with local friends to make our signs. We wondered if any of this would make a difference, and then Heather’s words reassured us:

The work of Newman and Pulling to light the lanterns exactly 250 years ago tonight sounds even less heroic. They agreed to cross through town to light two lanterns in a church steeple. It sounds like such a very little thing to do, and yet by doing it, they risked imprisonment or even death. It was such a little thing … but it was everything.

… What Newman and Pulling did was simply to honor their friendships and their principles and to do the next right thing, even if it risked their lives, even if no one ever knew. And that is all anyone can do as we work to preserve the concept of human self-determination. In that heroic struggle, most of us will be lost to history, but we will, nonetheless, move the story forward, even if just a little bit.

And once in a great while, someone will light a lantern – or even two – that will shine forth for democratic principles that are under siege, and set the world ablaze.

March 7-12, 2025 | F.D. Roosevelt State Park | Pine Mountain, Georgia

Our first week-long travel adventure with Yin and Yang to F.D. Roosevelt State Park in Pine Mountain, Georgia, started with a windy ride up I-75 to the Florida-Georgia line. Northwest winds gusting to 25 miles per hour on a stretch of 3-lane interstate with too many semis to count meant constant steady steering and many small sways from side to side. It was nerve-racking for the driver (Cheryl) and the copilot (Marsha).

We pulled into our Harvest Host site in Jennings, Florida, for the night, which was a bittersweet challenge. Nice farm and host. Great tour of their off the grid underground home, triple chicken coop with a fresh dozen eggs, five head of cattle, countless goats of many varieties, Snazzy the toy pony, and a vegetable garden prepping for spring. And … a very unlevel site for Yang. We’d never had to use leveling blocks and didn’t have enough to even try since we were nearly 10” too high on the driver’s side. We opted to accept the drastic imbalance and get what sleep we could.

Travel day number two went much more smoothly, and we reminisced along the journey about the many times we talked about doing the RV thing in retirement only to swing around to the other side of settling into suburbia. It felt really good to swing back to the RV life in the end. And then … we encountered a steep decline into F.D. Roosevelt State Park winding round hairpin turns and trying not to smoke the brakes. Unfortunately, we hadn’t investigated Yin’s advance features for this type of driving experience, so we did our best to get to our site albeit with that distinct smell of hot brakes. We’ll be reading the owner’s manual for Yin to make sure we know how to shift into “down mountain” mode for the next time.

Site 510 looked great on the state park map. A pull through, which is always a welcome situation, and a semi-level site. And so … we needed to use those leveling blocks for the first time, but we didn’t have enough. Marsha was adamant we would not be sleeping at a slope this time, so Cheryl headed to the camp host site to get some help – YES, Cheryl asked for help – but she did it after having a small meltdown from feeling ill-prepared and doubting her abilities to learn these new things.

And yes, Ann, our camp host was amazing. Not only is she “family” but she had extra leveling blocks we could use and coached us through the whole process. We were so grateful for her help, and Marsha asked if she enjoyed wine. Of course she did, so we thanked her with a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc from our Angel wine collection (check out Naked Wines if you want to know more about Angel wines).

Our adventures in retirement up to this point have been woven with lots of lessons. Of course, we both love to learn, but it’s harder to accept lessons at this age when it’s way outside our comfort zone. In the end, it’s a balancing act to find that level spot or create it when it’s not there. Here’s a little reminder for all of us from Depeche Mode’s “Get the Balance Right.”

When you think you’ve got a hold of it all, you haven’t got a hold at all.
First to the left. Back to the right. Twist and turn until you got it right.
Get the balance right.

February 8-March 6, 2025 | Waterside RV Resort | Sebring, Florida

The old Shaker hymn, “Simple Gifts,” has been a favorite of ours and has deep roots not only in our upbringing but also our professional lives. It’s something we aspire to achieve. The first verse goes something like this:

‘Tis the gift to be simple, ’tis the gift to be free,
‘Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
‘Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When we first started thinking about retirement and truly simplifying our lives by shedding things in favor of exploration, adventures, and experiences, Cheryl purchased a couple of Life is Good® t-shirts. Of course, Marsha thought this was ironic. Nonetheless, Cheryl still has them and has recently been very proud to wear the one that says, “SIMPLIFY” with an image of a camper. Now that we’ve retired and have Yin and Yang, it’s feeling a lot more like dreams do come true.

Getting to SIMPLIFY is a long and difficult path. At first, when we decided to retire earlier than planned and put our house on the market, it seemed an insurmountable task to let go of so much we’d worked so hard to curate in our home, our keepsakes, and our 40+ years of working beside so many amazing people. We started with the “no-brainers” – those things that had little meaning or had outlived their usefulness. Many of these found new homes through Goodwill. Then we swung to the other end of the spectrum and identified the “must keeps” and were amazed to realize that the list was rather small. We were left with the “nice to haves but no longer need” items, which we were able to include in the sale of our home.

Along the journey to SIMPLIFY are a few really good realities:

• As long as we have each other, what else do we really need.
• Those few things we do keep must serve a clear purpose.
• Passing along gently used items can be a blessing to others.

As we transition from owning a home to living full-time in our camper, it’s been a lot easier to let go and SIMPLIFY. Life IS good, and we are enjoying the benefits of being unencumbered with things and taking on new explorations, adventures, and experiences. Next stop, Pine Mountain, Georgia, March 6 -13 to reconnect with Cheryl’s best friend and her family while enjoying the natural surroundings at F.D. Roosevelt State Park.