The Big Pivot.

Plans change.  Sometimes big plans change.  I had a big change in plans this past summer and it was the greatest gift to my heart and soul.  

For the past decade (yes, literally 10 years)  I have been squirreling away for a big drive: the US loop in an RV, hitting up all the big national parks and driving solo.  Yes, it sounds crazy, because it is a little crazy.  I grew up traipsing around in my grandfather’s RV with my family in the summer time for a few weeks. So, this is not foreign to me.  I also like to drive big vehicles, like boat trailers, so this part felt like a homecoming.  I spent years envisioning this trip- from my playlist to reserving the parks campsites 3 years in advance to the hair braids with my patagonia hat and all sorts of stops along the way to let family and friends meet up with me.  This was my 3 month road trip of a lifetime of experiences all over the country as a military brat rolled up into one great reflection at a pinnacle age.  

What happened?

Life happened.  Our grown up kids moving to different places far away happened.  And all of the sudden my husband and I were left wondering what’s next for us? And how do these great kids fit into this next part of our life?  So, we took a big leap of faith last year and purchased a summer home.  This was huge for us.  First, we don’t make big decisions like this quickly.  In fact, it takes us years to buy cars and tvs and computers, because…. Well.. we have to think about it, analyze it, look for a better deal.  Sometimes that delay turns into 200K on the minivan😍

Something about this home just felt right… a place to call home, back in a place that’s always felt like our summer home, home away from home, home to our grown children in a different way.  

So, we did it.  But it did not come without having to give up some other things.  One of them being my RV Road Trip.  Those squirreled away funds needed to be used for the house purchase.  And there was no delayed response that this was absolutely the right thing for Whit and Jenny and our family.  

My hope was to fill the house with love, laughter, friendship and family this past summer.  The same things I was hoping for on my rv trip.  

I got so much more.  My doors were open all summer.  And with that came people- friends I had not seen in a long time, friendships that needed some time on the porch for long talks, friends that needed more compassion than I had given in years past, friends that were heartbroken and needed a place to cry, friends that needed to hold their secrets a little longer but still came to my porch to breathe fresh air, family that came and relaxed and walked and enjoyed good meals, family that stayed all summer long with partners and friends and extras.  

All those choices and all those words might sound exhausting, but my mindset was right this summer.  I embraced every moment of it all, even the exhaustion.  I discovered some weird new things about myself in the in between space and time between guests: 

-I actually love folding laundry fresh out of the dryer

-I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Gregory Alan Isakov while ironing linen napkins for the next dinner

-I sought more intentional quiet time in the down time- like completing a book, going for a swim, taking a nap (if you have read this far then let me assure you these are new experiences for me)

When life happens to you, you are just moving from thing to thing.  It’s hard to slow down and see perspective.  But when life happens for you, space and shape take on a new dimension of health and allow for a richer experience in the little moments of joy.  

I lingered a lot on staying in the moment this summer, living fully in the time I had been gifted with others, and relished in all sorts of new possibilities for Jenny, for Jenny Rappole, for JRAPPFIT…. 

And life would not have unfolded this beautifully this summer if I had not pivoted with intention, a proper mindset and practicing every day how to hold myself with grace and affection like never before.  

This is not empty nesting friends.  This is not midlife.  It’s something new and beautiful and fresh.  Maybe there is no name for this, other than what I feel, what I want to share and how deeply rooted I am in my passion for helping others explore newness to life each day in new ways.  

Wherever you are starting, it’s not too late. 

Yours in Health,

Jenny