Ever felt a rush of nerves before venturing into the unknown? That's the mix of fear and excitement I am experiencing as I prepare for my first-ever tent camping trip with only my two boys. It's not just the camping that has me on edge but also the reality that I'm doing this without a man's help for the first time. I'm Ms. Super Independent Woman y'all but there are just some things I haven't had to do before that I'll want to do to keep me and my boys WARM and ALIVE during this trip.
As we pack and plan, I've been struck by the parallels between this camping trip and the other big project I've been working on, my new project: 'Driver's Seat Journal'. This journal, much like the camping trip, is about stepping out of comfort zones, embracing new experiences, and finding our inner strength in the face of adversity. It's for anyone dealing with a difficult season and needing a boost of hope, direction, motivation, and empowerment.
Take a moment and picture this, me and my boys, huddled under a tarp in the rain, laughing and learning from the experience. Then contrast that with the image of me, sitting down with a cup of coffee, pouring my heart into creating the 'Driver's Seat Journal'. Both are steps into the unknown, both are challenging, and both are helping me grow. This episode is about these journeys, the fears we face, the strength we discover, and the memories we create. So, whether you're a seasoned camper, a mother taking the bull by the horns, or simply someone looking for a little motivation, join me on this unique journey. You're sure to walk away feeling inspired and maybe even a little bit braver.
Ever felt a rush of nerves before venturing into the unknown? That's the mix of fear and excitement I am experiencing as I prepare for my first-ever tent camping trip with only my two boys. It's not just the camping that has me on edge but also the reality that I'm doing this without a man's help for the first time. I'm Ms. Super Independent Woman y'all but there are just some things I haven't had to do before that I'll want to do to keep me and my boys WARM and ALIVE during this trip.
As we pack and plan, I've been struck by the parallels between this camping trip and the other big project I've been working on, my new project: 'Driver's Seat Journal'. This journal, much like the camping trip, is about stepping out of comfort zones, embracing new experiences, and finding our inner strength in the face of adversity. It's for anyone dealing with a difficult season and needing a boost of hope, direction, motivation, and empowerment.
Take a moment and picture this, me and my boys, huddled under a tarp in the rain, laughing and learning from the experience. Then contrast that with the image of me, sitting down with a cup of coffee, pouring my heart into creating the 'Driver's Seat Journal'. Both are steps into the unknown, both are challenging, and both are helping me grow. This episode is about these journeys, the fears we face, the strength we discover, and the memories we create. So, whether you're a seasoned camper, a mother taking the bull by the horns, or simply someone looking for a little motivation, join me on this unique journey. You're sure to walk away feeling inspired and maybe even a little bit braver.
Hello friends, welcome to another episode of Elevate with Erica. I'm your host, erica, and today is going to be just kind of a we're just going to wing it like we're just going to hang out. I kind of wish that I this was like alive on Instagram or Facebook or something, because that's kind of the vibe. I wish this was more conversational today. If it was, I totally would have brought like a cocktail to this little chat we're going to have today. But when I brought cocktails to my podcast episodes before and tried to do that kind of vibe, I never end up drinking it because I'm the one doing all the talking. So I don't like awkwardly stop and like sip my cocktail. So I do have some water here. Maybe you can grab your favorite cocktail or, if you're listening, do this in the morning. Maybe not so much. Maybe you've got your coffee or your shake for the day. Whatever you're doing, and just come hang out with me today I want to tell you about an experience that I'm about to have this weekend and actually about the time you watch or listen to this episode. Depending on if you're on YouTube or on a podcast channel, it will have already happened. So I actually love that and I'll tell you why I like that.
Speaker 1:
This is going to come out after the experience has already happened in a little bit, but let me just tell you what's going on. So, first of all, my life has been a bit wild and crazy, which I know my loyal listeners already know, especially those of you who follow me on Instagram, if you're, if you watch my stories, then you like are just a part of my life, because I just lay it all out there. And so my life has been wild and I have decided to add just a little bit more of a challenge to to my already challenging season, because apparently that's just what I do. So also, my nails are all chipped and not I'm just going to sit like this. Yes, so you don't see them. Also, it's freezing. I'm not turning the heat on yet, I refuse, and my house just does not warm up this time of year, but anyway, all right. So what am I doing? What is the challenging thing I'm taking on?
Speaker 1:
I am going camping with my two boys for the first time ever. I've never tent camped. By the way, I need to emphasize that we do have a camper and we camp several times throughout the summer, but like camping in a camper glamping is so they're totally different from tent camping in Shenandoah Valley. Okay, these are two different experiences. So this will be my first time tent camping with my boys.
Speaker 1:
I've been always kind of waiting for my youngest to get to an age in which I felt like he would be fine for the hikes during the day and also fine with like okay, there's no signal for your little tablet or like you know, there's just we're in nature, that's all we have to do together, and I just wanted to make sure that my youngest is going to be okay with that. So he's about to be 10 in November and I think I feel pretty confident now that I can take him. He is looking forward to it. Both my boys are looking forward to it. My 13 year old is absolutely excited. So it's my first time tent camping with them.
Speaker 1:
And then also the biggest part, actually the scariest part of all of this experience for me is that it's my first time not just tent camping but camping in general without a man with me. And I got to tell you I would be lying if I said that I wasn't a little bit nervous, a little scared. Look, I'm like all about preaching like independent woman. My mom raised me not to have to depend on a man and you know, to kind of get your ducks in a row first. That's why I had to graduate from college before they even wanted to see me get married. That's just how I was raised.
Speaker 1:
But this, this makes me a little bit nervous. So I first of all me and my boys absolutely love to camp. We love the outdoors. I love the simplicity of it all. It forces me to slow down. And tent camping is even better because when we go to these campgrounds I can actually still have some kind of signal. So I'll get up in the morning and get some work done or whatever. You guys know how to do that. I'm going to be a little bit nervous. I'm going to be a little bit nervous, whatever. You guys know how attached we are to these things. Right, but tent camping is even better because we literally have no signal when we're when we're in Shenandoah. So it's even more of a step back. And you know also, when I'm in, like when I'm in our camper, I can still like wash dishes, there's a sink, I mean, I'm still like cleaning up after my kids and doing this and cooking and all of that. And when you're tent camping it's just you don't, you don't do that, and so it's a really nice forced slowdown, which I need as someone that's always like thriving off of accomplishing things. It forces me to just chill out, and we all need that sometimes. So I think my boys are just going to love being outside. I hope my boys are just going to love being outside together. You know, at the campground they can take their scooters and things like that. They can't do that at the tent camping ground. So this is going to be a new experience for them, but I it's one in which that I'm looking forward to experiencing with them and I'm excited for the memories that we're going to create that I know none of us will forget.
Speaker 1:
So you know some of the fears that I have. I've never set up the tent without a man. I've never started a fire ever. I do grill at home and our big gas grill, so I'm thinking that I can probably figure out a mini gas grill. I mean it can't be, but so different, right? I'm honestly more concerned about the fire, the lows at night or like I think, 40s, 50s. The weather keeps kind of changing and my 13 year old is like mom, I know how to start a fire from Boy Scouts. He went to like a few Boy Scouts meeting one time. It's not something he consistently does, but he is very confident that he's going to be able to start the fire for us and it's going to be pretty essential that we have that. So I'm hoping that between the two of us we just figured out, like I said. I think it's going to be a great bonding experience for both of us. So we will see.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, that's the thing I'm most nervous about. Everything else I feel like you know, we can just figure out. I've put up our huge tent before. It might just take a little trial and error and some patience, but I know that I can. I know that I can figure that out. It's more just, it's more the fire and like are my kids going to be okay out there for two nights straight? We'll see.
Speaker 1:
But yeah, I've been preparing our list, preparing our camping list of things to pack and it's one of the things that I highly recommend. So, whether we're in my tent or whether we're in our camper, I always create this document that I keep on my computer of an ongoing list of things that we want to take with us. To help me just not forget things. I highly recommend that for anybody preparing for any kind of camping trip, whether in a camper or in a cabin or in a tent with kids it's just packing the essentials and and being prepared for everything that might come up. Like you know, some people will say, oh, just wing it, like whatever you don't have, you can go buy kind of thing. But it just takes some of the anxiety off of me when I feel a little bit more prepared and I have some of the essentials with me. So the campground was like 30 bucks a night and then to get into Shenandoah is a national park, so to get into that you have to pay $30 and that's good for a week. So we're good there.
Speaker 1:
But I do need to get like food and drinks and I know we're gonna. I've got like three hikes planned, but I know we're gonna, you know, probably grab some food out sometime while we're there to and I'm being totally honest with you guys like financially to, I'm like gosh. I hope this doesn't turn into too much of an expensive trip as well. Like gas, it's going to be a five hour drive to the campground Plus, I mean we're doing several hours of driving during the day, saturday, up and down Skyline Drive to the different trails, to whatever different activities we decide to get into, depending on the weather, which I'll get to in a minute.
Speaker 1:
But absolutely affording the trip and trying to budget and trying to plan food and activities that are reasonable is something I've been struggling with too, because I want to experience this with them, but I've always split the expenses with another adult and now it's just me me and my two boys, and so it's a little bit scary, not gonna lie, but it's a little bit. Like I said, I'm just in all of these areas. I feel like the only way to learn, the only way to conquer all the fears I have surrounding this trip, all my anxieties and worries, is to just go through it and then next year, when we do this again together, I will be it'll be easy, breezy, right, but I just got to get through this initial time and I don't want to rob my kids of the experience because I'm fearful to even try. You know, I just want them to see that, even though mom doesn't know what she's doing, even though I don't have it all figured out, I don't have all the answers for our trip. This time we're just going to wing it together. You can still do it. And I want them to do things like that in their own life, to know that even if you don't know what you're doing, you can still try. That's how we know what to do, by trying right.
Speaker 1:
And yes, I just think there's so many lessons that are going to come out of this experience. But I know that my 13 year old will be a huge help to me. He is like a grown man all of a sudden, and so I know he'll be able to help me with the tent and we'll figure that out. I know between the two of us will start a fire, or else I'm going to go walking to somebody else's campsite and bar somebody else, but we will figure it out how to stay warm out there. And you know, normally I take a blow up mattress, and that is because I it's normally just two people, but two people are not going to fit on the blow up mattress that I have and I don't want to have the expense of going to go buy another one. So, because my 13 year old is like the size of a grown man now me, him and my almost 10 year old are not going to fit on that. Somebody's going to roll off the mattress. So what we're going to do is thankfully, some of my followers on social media have given me some ideas but we are going to put a rug down the bottom of the tent and then put some thick blankets on top and then our sleeping bags on top of that, and so hopefully that keeps us plenty warm. I mean, even when I was going before with a blow up mattress and and this, this two person sleeping bag that's meant for, like freezing temperatures, I still was sleeping in a hoodie and sweatpants. So I mean, I know that I'm going to be sleeping with a lot more clothes on than I would if I was at home, but if we could just be semi comfortable and not feel like we're sleeping right on the ground, that would be great.
Speaker 1:
Because also, something else that we're navigating is on Saturday it is supposed to rain Like quite a bit. There's a some kind of storm like moving across the US and of course the timing is on Saturday is when it's going to kind of cross over the area in which we will be staying. The weather changes like three times a day, the amount of rainfall and the percentage of likeliness and all of that changes like three times a day, and we're still a few days off. So I've just stopped looking at it because it doesn't matter at this point. I'm just going to plan that it's going to rain, which in that case, means that we need to put a lot of my followers let me know, we need to put a tarp down underneath the tent, and so I will be doing that as well. And, yeah, if we could just stay dry and stay warm, that would be ideal. So you could say a little pray for us. That would be fantastic. And then also, you know, hiking during the rain. If, that's if Saturday turns into a washout, then what are we going to do?
Speaker 1:
Creating plans around that, guys, so many unknowns for this trip that I've put together and lots of first timing, and and I'm doing it anyway, because I just think this is a teachable moment for my kids and an opportunity to make memories that will last a lifetime and then, because of the, because of the, the weight of my life Over the past two months, I feel like it's just something that's going to be good for me. It's just something that I really need, and so I'm kind of excited to just be in nature with no signal, with my kids figuring out like the simple little things you know. It's funny because I was eating dinner with my son the other day and I was telling him about how there's my youngest, I was telling him about how there's going to be bears and he was like bears like around us, and I said, I mean, they can be, yeah, like we're in their house. And he's like Well, why are we going then? They're not going to, we're going to be fine. I've never actually seen one anytime that I've gone, but even if I did, like we're going to be all right. So he is concerned over his safety, but I'm confident that that we're going to be fine.
Speaker 1:
I'm more worried about the hikes being slippery, like if we're walking across rocks and things like that with those with those boys. So I'm more worried about that than then bears. But I just I know that they're going to walk away from this with so many stories, and adventures like this with my boys are such better memories than this is just my opinion. This is going to create even more memorable memories than like a trip to Disney World or cruise, or this is just a moment that we're going to learn together, right, and that's what I'm excited about. So lots of pictures to come of that as well, and then I'm sure in my next podcast episode I'll talk a little bit more about this experience, or maybe I'll just do like a mini mindset thing to just share quickly my experience after this has all happened.
Speaker 1:
But I just hope that me sharing what I'm about to do and me sharing what my experience is once this is done, I just hope that it encourages you to take your own steps towards the unknown, and I've been doing that so much in my life lately. If you're following my stories, you know, if you've been a loyal listener, than you know I'm taking so many steps towards the unknown, and this is just another one in the season of my life. Apparently, this is what 2023 has turned into for me. So I'm just taking steps towards adventure and growth and just figuring it out as you go, not having to have all the answers before you go. I just need this and I was just talking to someone today and just saying how much of a rut that I felt like I was in because of the weight of life, like I said, over the past couple of months, and it's put me in this, like I'm trying to do what I need to do to get by each day, to just keep functioning through the pain and and figure out how to grow through this season, and knowing that this, too shall pass right.
Speaker 1:
But because I'm just kind of waking up and trying to go through the motions just to get out of bed every day, it's got me in kind of a rut of like okay, like you need to shake up your life a little bit, right, like you need to do something different if you want different, and that is what I'm hoping this experience is going to be for me. I'm pretty confident that it will be. You know, the quickest way to to conquer your fear. The quickest way to conquer my fear surrounding this trip is by doing the thing that you fear to do, and so I could sit here and let my fear stop me from going. I could keep googling all of the answers, right, all of the finding YouTube videos that tell me how to do everything, or I could just do, because all that's going to do is postpone the experience or rob my boys of the experience all together.
Speaker 1:
Rob me and my boys of the experience all together and doing these things is how we grow, but it's also how we find out how strong that we already are. Right now, like I feel, like a lot of people and I too have said it Doing the things we're scared of is how we grow. A lot of people say that right. But even without growth, we don't even realize how strong we are right now, in this moment, because we're not challenging ourselves to find out, because we're too busy trying to find out all the answers first. And I'm going into this experience without all the answers intentionally, because I need to remind myself, especially in the season of life that I'm in, exactly how strong I am and how capable I am and how resourceful I am, because I've gotten kind of lost the past several years, kind of relying too much on someone else, and I forget that there is a very strong, independent woman in here who's been through a lot of crap and already started her life over once, lost everything, started over and figured it out. I've got to remind myself that she's in there and I know that I'm going to leave this experience being reminded of that, because the truth is that life gets boring when you stay within the limits of what you already know, and that's where I've been and I'm ready to do something different because I want different from my life.
Speaker 1:
I tend to feel that your fears are a direction of what you should head towards, and I know that you might be thinking okay, eric, there's like a black bear this weekend. Don't run towards it. I'm not planning on that, it's not what I mean. But if there's something that you're scared to do and you know you're not going to die, right, I think you should try it. Challenge yourself, because even if you fail, that's not dying. You tried right. You gave yourself that experience. Experience is knowledge. You must do the thing you think you cannot do.
Speaker 1:
So what I'm hoping by sharing about what I'm getting ready to do this weekend, what I'm hoping this episode kind of does, is to inspire and empower you, specifically mothers in this scenario, who may have similar fears or hesitations about embarking on things. Maybe it's outdoor adventures, or maybe it's something else that you've always done with a male companion. I think it would be really cool if you tried to do it by yourself once. I think it would be amazing if, out of my experience trying this and maybe you'll need to wait to my little mini episode I do after this, sharing my experience to make sure I survived it, before you then decide that you're going to try to do the same thing. But I hope that it inspires you to just go before you're ready. Try to do something on your own that you've always relied on someone else for. Just see what you're capable of. And something else that I'm doing right now, along not kind of similar lines, doesn't have anything to do with outdoor adventures, but it does have something to do with doing something before I know what the hell I'm doing.
Speaker 1:
All right, and that is I want to create a journal, and this is because of how my life has been over the past. We're going on two and a half months now. I have been relying on something to get me out of bed every day, and that's the idea behind this journal. All right, so, tentatively, the name of this journal is going to be driver's seat journal. Nobody steal that, okay, driver's seat journal.
Speaker 1:
And this was born out of a, like I said, this challenging season in my life that I'm in, where I'm overwhelmed with heartache and mental and emotional exhaustion, to the extent that getting out of bed and facing the day is a struggle for me many, many mornings. In this difficult period, I have found joy and motivation in a morning routine that I established seven years ago, and this routine has become a catalyst that compels me to throw the covers off and rise again each day, despite the mornings that I wake up filled with with worry and literally like the moment my eyes open. There's been so many mornings when I just want to cry. So the concepts of being in the driver's seat represents having a sense of control and purpose and direction in your life, even amidst adversity, and it symbolizes your ability to navigate and steer your own course, to make choices and take actions that shape your day, regardless of the challenging circumstances that are surrounding you. This empowerment became my lifeline, allowing me to face each day with determination and ultimately helping me to survive this hard season one day at a time. I recognize the impact that this morning routine has had on my ability to face the day and regain control over my life, and I was inspired to create the driver's seat journal as a means of extending the support to others. So this journal is designed to serve as a source of hope and motivation and empowerment for anyone who may be going through a challenging season, struggling to find their way or seeking to reclaim their sense of purpose and control.
Speaker 1:
My vision for the driver's seat journal is to provide a daily tool that individuals can look forward to utilizing each morning, irrespective of whether they are navigating a difficult or beautiful season in their life. This journal is a space where I want people to be able to start their day with intention, consciously placing themselves in the metaphorical driver's seat of their lives. It's going to offer a platform for reflection and goal setting, and it's just going to be a reminder that you have the power to steer your life in a direction that aligns with your desires, values and aspirations, because I have needed that reminder every single day that I've opened my eyes, since I feels like the rug got ripped out from under me on July 29th. So, ultimately, the driver's seat journal is a. It's a tangible expression of resilience, hope and the human spirit's ability to persevere and thrive even in the face of adversity. I want this to serve so many as a beacon of encouragement and a reminder that, regardless of life's challenges, individuals possess the strength to seize the day and drive their lives forward, one day at a time. I'm rooting for you to make the choice to rise today, and this journal is my expression of that.
Speaker 1:
I am a person that always was able to plan way far ahead. I could set a three-year goal, I could set a five-ten-year goal and work towards that today, and I've always been that way. I'm a huge planner and it's my camping list right. I'm a big planner. But what I have found is that when I was trying to do that at the beginning of this hard season, I was just failing. I felt like a failure because I couldn't I can't envision that far out, because I don't even know what my life is going to look like that far out. There's so many unknowns around my future now, and so I had to realize that I can only do life right now one day at a time. I can only goal set one day at a time, and that is why I love my daily morning routine and why it's been the catalyst for getting me out of bed every day, and why I want to pour that routine that's helped me into a driver's seat journal so that I can help others in the way this has helped me. You gain strength, courage and confidence in every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.
Speaker 1:
And, yes, it's crossed my mind when I've been tossing around ideas for this journal that it's going to be stupid. No one's going to like it, no one's going to want to buy it. It's not going to help anyone. People are going to think it's ridiculous. Why would they want to buy a journal from somebody who doesn't even have her shit together? My life is a mess right now, yes, but I'm doing this anyway because in sharing so much of my experience and what I've been going through in my life over the past couple of months, I've gotten a lot of DMs from people who aren't so forward facing with their problems, telling me that seeing my stories in the morning gets them out of it. And that's who I'm creating this journal for. They are all that matters to me and I can't let the fear of what the people who this journal is not for might think about me. I can't let that fear stop me from helping the people that it is intended for. It probably won't be perfect First thing I've ever published. It doesn't mean it won't help people. I've been showing up imperfectly for two and a half months and I have countless messages of the people that I'm helping daily and countless new connections and friendships, because I've been willing to share my own struggle and share on just choosing to continue in the face of adversity, and I know this journal is just going to be an extension of that, and so I want to close with this. I have created a survey, of sorts because I want your help in creating this journal.
Speaker 1:
How many people have 10 journals that you never totally fill out? There's probably some behind me that you never totally fill out. I don't like the journals that start with 20 pages of write all these paragraphs about what you want in your life, three years from now, yesterday, 10 years from now. I don't like all these prompts. What are all your weaknesses? What are all your strengths? When I buy journals like that, they end up sitting somewhere getting dusty because I realized that to even start the journal I have to write a book, it feels like, and so I never get to it.
Speaker 1:
I just don't like journals. There's pieces of journals that I don't love, and then there's pieces of journals that I love, but the problem is that I love this about this journal, I love that about this journal. I have three books now that I'm trying to carry everywhere, and then I never finish any of them Right. So what I want your help with is condensing all of this everything that I love and every journal that I've ever had, everything that I didn't like and figuring out what I want to pour into this journal, what the driver's seat journal's intention is and what I want it to have to help the most people that I can and have it be a journal that people actually finish to completion and want to grab another one when they're finished with it. So I want your help in doing that.
Speaker 1:
I want your opinions and your ideas. So I've created, like I said, a survey and I'm going to put the link in the show notes for you to go complete that. It literally takes you less than probably two minutes to complete the survey. It's very, very basic and simple, but it's just getting your opinion on some ideas that I already have and it also lets you kind of get your say in what kind of cover should it have, how many months should it cover, what kind of binding should it have. So that kind of stuff too, but also just get your opinion on the ideas I have for the sections to include.
Speaker 1:
I so, so appreciate your help. You guys. I am excited to embark on a couple scary things before the end of 2023. I hope to have this journal out and ready to publish and I hope that I survived this camping trip with my voice as we begin and don't get eaten by a bear. So, yeah, please go push that link and vote in that survey, and if you think that anyone else would connect with this episode or this podcast as a whole, I would so appreciate if you would take the time to share this with a friend or in your social media today and, as always, if you could take the time to go leave a rating and review. That's how we get this podcast in front of more people and I so appreciate you and the time that you've given to come hang out with me today. All right, you guys, until next episode. Bye.
