Resting after a tough hike on West Beach
The minions are hard at work. They are dedicated to complete the Jr. Ranger program at the Indiana Dunes National Park. It is a program sponsored by the National Park Service. I wrote about this earlier this month, and the kids have been dedicated to say the least. They have been tried to visit, see, and experience everything the park has to offer.
Their workbooks are filled with sites, quizzes, and fun facts about the Indiana Dunes. I have to say, I am very impressed with their diligence. I am also happy that the Indiana Dunes provides such a fun and innovative way to get the kids involved in the the park. Every time I come home, I have been inundated with fun facts and adventures the kids experienced that day.
They will complete the program before we leave for Indianapolis on Friday. I am so very proud of them. It has provided tons of non traditional education in our road school environment. They have learned by experience and adventure. It has become their own laboratory of learning combining science, history, sociology, and geography all rolled up in one.
In the past couple of days, I have had a couple of calls with friends and family. It is so encouraging to hear the support for our adventure. One overwhelming theme I have heard from them is that, 'They wish they could do the same.' A close second is 'just think of how the kids will remember these days, and their childhood.'
I hope to think that Jen and I are good parents. While never perfect mind you, I do want what is best for the kids. It was the driving factor towards home-school, and bringing my minions with me on the road. Having to balance the road lifestyle and keeping them progressing in school is not an easy task. Some days, Jen wants to pull her hair out, and other days it seems like a pure joy.
While it may seem strange to some that we decided to live out of a small cramped space, all I can say is try it for yourself. Experiencing the detachment from stuff, and the freedom it brings is something I think we all crave. The struggle for many is the attachments to things. I don't blame them really. Having things and comfort is ingrained in us from birth. I battle it myself.
One battle is teaching martial arts. Going from having two large schools to teaching out of our home, to not teaching at all (my kids excluded) is a big change for me. Pride I think is the problem. So often we 'define' who we are by what we do. Dedicated so much of my life and energy to the martial arts and being distant from it has led to many personal struggles. I defined so much of who I was by my ability, status, and how others view me.
Living out of our camper, in such a different manner than most people has taught me that I am so much more than the things I attach to myself. I am more than a martial arts instructor. I am more than a kung fu master(yes I know, sounds fake... but it is true). As I distance myself from those things, I have had a chance to re-evaluate what is important to me, and have a healthier perspective in life. Will I teach again? Sure, I think I have too much to offer others. However, at this time, in this season, I will focus on what is in front of me, not what expectations or lofty attachments I thrust upon myself.
One of my goals was to lose weight. I have been on a lifelong yo-yo diet. A few months ago, I hurt my back again. It is an old injury that resurfaces from time to time. However, it is so painful that it hurts to sit, walk, or just about anything else. Just putting my socks on was so painful, that it almost brought me to tears. I started treatment with a chiropractor. I soon built a good relationship with him.
I had asked about losing weight and the affects on my back. He of course suggested that the less weight I carried, the less my back and muscles had to work to support itself. He had shared with me that he and his wife had both went on the HCG diet and had resounding success. He recommended that I do my research to make sure that it was something I should do. I bought the books, read everything I could, and concluded that I could do anything for a short period of time.
Today marks the completion of the program. I dropped 33 pounds and kept it off during the maintenance period. Now I am free to eat whatever I want. I plan on doing another round in the near future as I still have some weight to lose. However, I have never felt better. The problems with my back, while aggravated due to the long periods of time I have to sit in my job, have been rather minimal. It also taught me portion control, eating a balanced diet, and how to counteract poor food choices and spikes in weight gain.
So in celebration, we went to Bubbles Ice Cream Parlor in Michigan City, IN. We bought the 'big bubble' which reminded me of the 'ziggy piggy' from Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure where they took Napoleon to the mall. Jen, the kids and I sat in our fifties styled booth and devoured our delicious dessert. It was fun, satisfying, and reminiscent of something you might see on the Food Network. It was an 'excellent adventure' had by all.
