I’ve been promising to write and share pictures of our “new normal” life in the camper without an apartment or other form of “permanent” residence. The problem is that the last few weeks since we moved out have been full, intense, and more than a bit overwhelming. It’s been hard to find time to write. And when I have sat down to write, I’ve realized that in all the chaos, I have no idea what the “new normal” actually looks like. It’s been an intense season for Staffan at work, and all those little things that we’d been putting off until “after the move” are now demanding our attention.
Most of the usual chaos of a move applies to us too… figuring out where to put things, trying to find the things we packed, landing in new routines. It’s just a bit more compact. We’re discovering that the highs and lows of camper life are often very connected to each other. I have reveled in the discovery that it only takes about 15 minutes to do a basic clean – wiping down surfaces and sweeping the floor. But on the flip-side, it takes about the same amount of time to feel surrounded by clutter anytime anyone forgets to put something away. The joy of kids who spend most of their waking hours outside is accompanied by the ubiquity of sand… on the floor, in your sheets, in your hair.
In the meantime, we are on the road again. In all that remains intense and demanding in this summer of transition, we managed to carve out these first two weeks of June to travel. We’re visiting Uppsala and Stockholm, with a few stops along the way, to visit people and places in this area where we used to live and which still claims pieces of our hearts. We’ve hiked mountains, explored museums, shared lingering meals with friends, and eaten approximately our own weight in ice cream. In short, the perfect summer getaway. The weather has been beautiful and putting some distance between ourselves and all that intensity has given us the space to breathe, rest, and just be together.
Our to-do lists will be waiting when we get back, probably longer than when we left. We will still struggle with finding new routines and disagree about the best places to put things. There are still a few boxes of leftover stuff that need to be sorted and dealt with. But for now, there is sunshine. There are picnics with old friends, conversations across miles of highway, and probably several pounds of ice cream left to eat. Right now we are filling ourselves up for all that lies ahead.
Right now we feel like the best versions of ourselves. For another few days, we truly are “Lindströms on the road.”
