Finding Joy in the Challenges

It’s easy to spot the challenges life throws at us. Finding joy in the challenges takes work. This week I drove my motorhome through Florida to visit with friends on my way to the Keys. But it seemed my rig was determined to keep me from returning to Outdoor Resorts at Long Key (ORLK) where I met up with my 94-year-old friend Ray last year (A Ray of Sunshine). And where I met so many great people (The People Here are Great).

My focus on Finding Joy in the West prevented me from taking a motorhome trip since my visit to the Keys last year. Since November, I have worked toward returning to the Keys, but challenge upon challenge made me wonder if I would make it. Listed here are some motorhome challenges I faced over the last two weeks and the joys that followed.

Challenge #1: The door lock on my motorhome broke.

Joy #1: My friend Jeff immediately came and diagnosed the problem. And my neighbor Steve helped me install a new lock two nights before I left.

Challenge #2: The carbon monoxide detector started chirping.

Joy #2: Again, to the rescue came my neighbor Steve. He detached the wires and helped me determine the correct replacement part. And Christine, my friend who lives at ORLK, said I could ship a new one to her.

Challenge #3: I believed a part I had ordered for the screen door wouldn’t fit.

Joy #3: My friend Mark installed it for me in less than an hour.

Challenge #4: The house batteries did not charge as I drove. (I had the same trouble on the way to the Keys last year.)

Joy #4: Sharon and Sally, the women I wrote about meeting last year (What are the Odds), had an outlet for me to plug my rig in when I arrived at their home in Gainesville. And Vern, the mobile repairman who fixed the battery problem last year, texted that he would fix it when I got to ORLK.

Challenge #5: The new door lock locked me out of my motorhome.

Joy #5: Sharon figured out the problem with the door lock and fixed it.

Challenge #6: A curtain rod fell while I was driving.

Joy #6: Sharon fixed that problem too!

Challenge #7: Hot water gushed from the tank outside my rig a couple of hours after I filled the freshwater tank and plugged in the water heater. Sharon flipped the pressure relief valve, and I unplugged the heater.

Joy #7: The water quit gushing. We left it alone and hoped for the best.

Challenge #8: New construction kept me from parking at my friend Esther’s house.

Joy #8: I got the last site at a city park campground in Melbourne for one night. And Esther and her friend Lauren picked me up, took me to dinner, and brought me back to the park before the gates closed. All went perfectly until I plugged in the water heater again. I added checking the thermostat to Vern’s list. And . . . the next morning as I walked, everyone I passed on the trail was friendly.

“Hope you’re finding joy.” One man said as he read my sweatshirt.

“I am!” I said. “I hope you are too!”

Challenge #9: When I arrived at my friend Zuzana’s gated community, we found out the complex wouldn’t allow me to leave my rig in the parking lot like I had done last year. We needed to get a parking permit from the office for permission to park overnight.

Joy #9: At the office I met Kendra, the sweetest receptionist in West Palm Beach, who is also a writer. And that evening, I connected with Rick, the kindest nighttime security guard in town. In the morning, we found a place off the property to park my rig. As a bonus, on Friday I reconnected with Kendra and Rick and tagged up with a new friend Yadi. I also met Zuzana’s friend Lenore, and her neighbors, Ed and Sandy.

When I arrived at ORLK on Saturday, my neighbors Rick and Sherry, Gina, my security guard friend, and Deb (What are the Odds) greeted me. After dinner, I enjoyed a walk with my Canadian cousins, Ernie and Myrna. We met new friends and old, which reminded me that The People Here are Great. And as Deb and my cousins filled me in on the challenges some of our ORLK friends have faced this year, I realized how insignificant my minor inconveniences are in comparison.

I’m so happy to be here at ORLK. This morning my friend Ray came to my site to visit. Joy overwhelmed me as we embraced. The same joy fills me as I anticipate reconnecting with the rest of my ORLK friends. All the challenges fade in the background as I look forward to two months of the Keezy life.

 It takes work to find joy in the challenges, but oh, how important it is to find that joy. I plan to spend the next two months finding joy. I challenge you to do the same. Stay tuned for more finding joy stories from the Keys.

*Photo by Deb