It has been 10 days since my last post. But, to be fair to myself, that one took a while to complete.  I went back in to edit it many times so the expense information would be included. Also, I have been juggling work with trying to visit friends, paying biils, and getting the usual work done around the house. Enough excuses, I will try to post at least once a week, around Wednesday or Thursday. That will give blog readers a midweek morsel to help get them closer to the weekend. When I go on an extended roadtrip, I will resume a daily blog  format.

The one very disappointing part of my return home was to see my plants dead.  A few are barely clinging to life. The person who had said it would be “no problem” to water the potted plants (especially the two dwarf lemon trees on the front porch) obviously did not water them. Also, the lawn is brown (dead) but I am okay with that because I plan to re-landscape anyway with drought resistant plants.

The most difficult part of being home is resisting the urge to leave and just forget about the issues here that I was able to escape during my cross country adventure. I am more determined than ever to simplify my life. This primarily means culling the “stuff”. It has become too easy to accumulate too many belongings. Thus, my new found “life on the road” experience has taught me that great joy is attainable in the absence of all of the excess.

The second thing I am realizing is that some people are good at taking and sapping joy from others for their own personal gain. After traveling alone and encountering many kind and generous people, these negative energy people stick out more obviously to me. I will do my best to limit my contact with these sorts. Life is too short and too beautiful to be stuck with the “duds”!

The third and final thing that I will say is that I have been good at procrastinating on large projects that I must complete around the house. It is always easy to blame this upon my priorities at work and then having quality time with my friends. However, this trip of 9,457 miles taught me this major lesson: I am capable of accomplishing extraordinary tasks, if I can simply break them down into manageable sized doses. So, let the projects begin!  I will focus on getting to the next “supercharger” and they will all add up to a complete journey.   Frugal Tesla