Adrienne Kristine
Women, don't let fear keep you grounded
By Adrienne Kristine

Every day, another woman discovers the joy of RVing. Sometimes, she's partnered with someone who brings her along for the ride. She's the co-pilot on the adventure and sometimes does the driving.

Unfortunately in many cases, a woman is left alone due to the illness or death of her partner. The RV sits unused in the storage yard or driveway, a reminder of happy times traveling around this great country. What does she do? Does she take the RV on a solo adventure or sell it to remove it from view and the memories?

You've seen the ads in the RV magazines. A great RV is "for sale due to illness [death] of a spouse." Someone gets a bargain on someone's lost dream. Why? Fear.

Why doesn't the surviving spouse or partner continue the journey with family and friends as co-pilot or passengers? Fear.

Why doesn't the surviving spouse or partner join a supportive group like RVing Women and learn how truly powerful and gifted she really is? Fear.

Why does she give up? Fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of failure. Fear of success.

Fear made me a prisoner too. My rig broke down on September 5 and had to be towed to its present location. For the last three months, I listened to everyone's armchair diagnoses: the engine overheated, the dipstick wasn't secure and the oil spilled onto the engine block, the engine had a blown head gasket, the engine seized, etc.

So I sat until last week knowing I needed a qualified mechanic to help me find the problem. The worst case scenario was the need for a new engine. The best case scenario was new parts with several hours of labor. Since I really didn't have to go anywhere, I became complacent and thought I would handle it "later."

Then I felt guilty. Here I was writing about RVers needing the ability to leave quickly in case of disaster and I was sitting completely vulnerable because my engine had a problem. I was afraid to learn the problem.

I'll let you in on a secret: RVing friends don't let you just sit there.  Don and Kim came over and announced, "We're going to check the engine and get you started." I held up the doghouse cover while Don added five quarts of oil. That didn't fill her but at least it showed on the dipstick. Kim borrowed a hose from a neighbor and filled the radiator. It took several minutes. Then they smiled and waited expectantly as I climbed behind the wheel. Kim rubbed Wendy's headlight for luck.

I turned the key and pumped the accelerator pedal as the starter cranked. Twice. Three times. I took a deep breath and tried again.

The wonderful Detroit-made Dodge 360 engine roared and Wendy settled into a smooth idle as if she had been driven yesterday.  Everyone including the neighbors cheered.

Now I could have been driving Wendy for the last three months if I had overcome my fear of the unknown sooner. Like Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz," all I had to do was click my heels together three times and say, "There’s no place like home." The difference is Dorothy didn't know the secret and when she found out, she acted immediately. I knew and I waited.

If your fear has turned into a snarling beast you're afraid to face, find out why it's become such a monster. Once you figure out that you created the fear, you can overcome it.

You don't have to do it alone. I don't think most RVers would let you. I won't.

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