Changing Times

 

The last three years have taught me much about living in the right lane. It is all about finding your groove and settling in for the journey. And I have no intention of leaving the right lane anytime soon. Unfortunately, our life in the right lane will become more of a metaphor than a reality for us in the very near future. Most of you on FB have heard about our decision to leave the road Full-time, but I promised you more information. I truly appreciate your faithful blog reading as you shared our journey. But you deserve more than a brief announcement.

 

When we came to Galveston Island in December 2024, we planned an extended stay to get Marlene's Cataract surgery done before heading back out. While here, I had my eye checkup, and the doctor found a possible issue with my right eye and wanted to see me back in 6 months. So, we extended our stay for three more months just to be safe before we hit the road. During that time, I discovered that it would be very difficult to get my preferred diabetes meds on the road. My doctor wrote a new prescription that was not as effective but easier to get. Over the ensuing months, I have watched my blood sugar rise. While waiting, we offered to take care of Marlene’s Dad in College Station while her brother and his wife took a trip. This made sense since we were going to be in the area anyway. I was worried about the blood sugar numbers, but I revised and re-routed our trip to start in June.

 

This was all well and good until I began to think about the diabetes. I have watched countless people suffer the consequences of not taking care of their diabetes, and it finally sank in. Is full-time life worth risking all the misery that diabetes will cause? (Note the verb, will cause.) My Mom died at 75 from cardiac disease due to Type II diabetes. I am very healthy today. But if I do not do everything I can to protect myself, I will follow a similar path sooner rather than later. Therefore, our decision to stay in full-time RV life will depend on how well the pharmacy and drug plan can deliver the proper meds.

 

I have been busy emailing and texting with my doctor, Aetna Insurance, Caremark, and Amazon Pharmacy for the last couple of weeks. After exploring countless options, it became clear that neither Aetna nor the pharmacies would yield. The best they could do would be a monthly prescription by mail. Unfortunately, Caremark’s mail program is not reliable in getting the drugs in our hands on time, and Amazon does not carry the drugs. Traveling requires near-precision timing of our deliveries. I could have them delivered to pharmacies in the areas we visit. Still, too many prescriptions get lost in the transfer shuffle. Also, a local pharmacy will not order the med until they get the prescription, making the timing even more difficult. Despite our best efforts, I could not get my blood sugar down to an acceptable level while on the road. So, we made our decision. Now, we must find a way to make the most of it.

 

We will be relocating to the Missouri City area in June and starting to look for an apartment. We like the area, which is not far from the grandkids. In the meantime, we will be taking care of Marlene’s Dad and figuring out the details of our own transition. But, as of now, we plan to be in an apartment by the first of July.

 

What will our metaphorical Right Lane Living look like? We do not plan on giving up on travel as long as our health allows. We will keep Koko and Nakai for now and use them for shorter excursions. But any other travel will be by planes, trains, and automobiles, as the budget allows. However, I plan on holding on to the lessons from our life on the road. It will be more about the journey than the destination. There will be plenty of room for surprise and delight while not allowing expectations to run wild. I will still make plans but there will be more room for spontaneity, especially when we travel in Nakai. We will not be able to chase 70 degrees as effectively, but I will have to adjust. Right Lane Living is primarily about finding joy with each day’s travel.

 

Please continue to follow along with us. I will still post pictures and may do a few one-year-ago pictures from our travels over the last few years.

 

The road continues but will likely lead back to Missouri City before stepping out again. Please hang with us during this transition into our new lives.

 

Thanks for being there, my friends.

 

Travel Well!

Bob