"At least nobody was hurt, " I heard myself telling my 29-year-old son as he called to tell me about the damage that he had caused trying to park my travel trailer. "Send me pictures when you get the chance, " I muttered as I hung up the phone. I was sure the Rpod was totaled, but I wanted to see pictures before I made any snap judgments. I could tell Sean was upset about the whole incident; however, a moment of carelessness could end up trashing several years of careful planning on my part.
I'm planning on retiring in the next couple of years, and I've tried to plan the transition carefully. The first leg of my plan started four years ago with hiring one of three individuals to transition a portion of my practice to relieve some of the heavy workloads. I've hired two of the three individuals and, so far, have transitioned zero clients. Unfortunately, the people I hired decided the work or industry wasn't for their particular taste. So phase one and two of the work transition is now on hold.
Along with the "work, less" phase came a "play more" action plan, which included buying the Rpod. With interest rates so low at the time of purchase, I planned to finance the trailer and have it paid off before I retired, allowing my savings and investments to continue their growth pattern while using my current income to pay off the debt. Now in year 3, the plan is in serious jeopardy as I look at the pictures my son has just texted me. I'm sure the trailer is totaled. What's worse is knowing that between COVID industry shutdowns and the boom of COVID campers (individuals buying campers to escape the confines of state lockdowns). The resulting supply/demand imbalance has pushed prices sky-high.
It feels, at times, that my dreams are falling apart faster than I can put them together. Frustrated but not debilitatingly so, I focus on the things I can control. I show up to work and do my job. I plan for our upcoming trip to Minnesota. The trip will allow us to visit two of our children who live in the same town and hopefully a new granddaughter who is due at any moment.
Linda's concerned about the potential costs of Airbnb and hotel rooms as we had planned on taking the Rpod and camping along the way. I'm more worried about the fact that the replacement cost is double what we originally paid for the trailer. We decided to stick with our plans of driving to Minnesota and perhaps shop for a trailer along the way. Our planned loop of driving through Wyoming, South Dakota, and Minnosata, then on the return trip, dropping down to Oklahoma to visit Linda's sister and picking up an old dog from Brenda's breeding stock of Sarplaninac. Sarplaninac is a large breed of dog from Bosnia, large and covered in long thick hair to protect them from the cold in that part of the world.
Two days before we left for vacation, I received a call for an interview with someone who wanted to work for our firm and live in Cedar City; the new baby girl arrived a couple of days early, with mom and baby both healthy and well. Our planned Airbnb and hotel rooms were friendly and reasonably priced. We just found a replacement trailer in Minnesota for our Rpod, and the insurance payment was quick and well handled. So it looks like things are back on track... right up until the phone rings. The excessive heat in Oklahoma has caused the older Sarplaninac dog to die of heat exhaustion despite everything her sister could do to help keep the old dog's temperature down.
Dreams come and go, and as we hooked up our new trailer for the long ride home, I was reminded of this quote by Gordon B. Hinckley [1]
Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he’s been robbed. The fact is that most putts don’t drop. Most beef is tough. Most children grow up to be just ordinary people. Most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration. Most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. . . .
Life is like an old-time rail journey—delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride.
References:
[1] https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/gordon-b-hinckley/god-shall-give-unto-knowledge-holy-spirit/
Written: July 19, 2022