Amazing Stories | From Adversity to Healing: How the Open Road Helped Heal Me

2019-May-22

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From Adversity to Healing: How the Open Road Helped Heal Me

BY BRENDA RICHARDSON · SR MANAGER GLOBAL PARTNER ENGAGEMENT · VIRTUAL DEMAND CENTER · UNITED STATES



What do you do when your nest empties and you find yourself starting a new chapter in your life?

Buy a travel trailer, really work remotely for half of the year, and see as many National Parks and Historic Sites as possible — of course!

That is the exact path Brenda Richardson opted for last year.

Brenda and her rig named “Joy” in her favorite RV Park, Creede, Colorado.
Brenda and her rig named “Joy” in her favorite RV Park, Creede, Colorado.

Several years ago, I began a quest to visit and hike in every Texas State Park. I started noticing heart shapes in nature and began focusing on “seeing the love”, posting my hikes and hearts to share with friends and family.

Little did I know this would be the start of my National Parks Adventure and would be the path to healing following a painful divorce last year. Following the unraveling of what I thought were my forever plans, I felt lost and alone. I sought help and began small steps to feeling better, including daily hikes with my dogs.

Nature and sunshine became the best medicine to heal my broken heart.

I needed to disconnect from my past life and memories, but was unsure as to where to “be.” I was anxious being in one place for too long, I needed a distraction — an adventure. I chose to live nowhere and enjoy nature while I decided!

Brenda with Harmonie and Cisco at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.
Brenda with Harmonie and Cisco at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.

As a remote employee, I cleared my adventure with my manager, loaded my SUV, hooked up my travel trailer, and set off with my two Australian Shepherds, Harmonie, and Cisco. (Cisco was his name when I rescued him. It was fate that brought us together!)

My adult children love that I am adventuring and visit me and explore when they can. I also stay in touch with friends and family by sending postcards from each place I visit. My teammates didn’t notice a difference in my day-to-day work, apart from the awesome views they got to see, and the fun stories of my adventure that I shared during meetings.

My rig isn’t “winter road worthy,” so I spend winters at my home in Austin, Texas, or with family in Southeast Louisiana. When the temperature rises, I am excited to get back on the road. In my home office, I have a custom push pin map, and during the winter it reminds me to focus on the “joy in the journey”— it’s even become my motto.

My push pin map, which reminds me to focus on the “joy in the journey”.
My push pin map, which reminds me to focus on the “joy in the journey”.

Tips for fellow travelers:

  • Utilize Cisco Meraki technology! I use the Cisco Meraki Z3C teleworker gateway, which allows me the freedom to work from remote locations where cellular coverage was available, and the Meraki MV for Security.
  • Choose RV Parks central to several areas you want to visit — it makes day trips easy.
  • Always carry extra gasoline (trust me).
  • Stay in touch with friends and family on social media and old-fashioned postcards.
  • If you get lonely — I know I did from time to time — connect with others: invite neighboring RVers over for dinner, attend events and volunteer in small towns, and talk to park rangers (they always have the best stories).
  • Change your location if you aren’t feeling safe or inspired.
  • Have backup plans: My very first planned stop was a disaster, but I loaded up the next day and found a new spot.

I’m more than halfway through my mission to see all 95 State Parks in Texas. Last year alone, I visited 21 National Parks and sites in the United States. The hikes — and hearts — continued to heal my own heart and each visit was unique and rewarding.

I am grateful for my friends, family, and work family for their support during this time. With every step in nature, I feel more confident. It is such a joy to be on this journey forward.

Here are some favorite highlights and heart pics from my trips through Grand Canyon, Coconino, and Apache Trail (in Arizona), Joshua Tree and Mojave (in Southern California), and Rio Grande National Forest (in Colorado).

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