I should have known things were going too smoothly.

I should have expected that something was about to go wonky.

Because that’s the way it always happens. Just when you feel like things are going smoothly you hit a bump in the road. And then all bets are off.

We had just finished up a really lovely last day in Nashville. Finally making it to Ernest Tubb’s record store so I could pay my respects. And we had a chance to wander up and down Broadway and even popped into a honky tonk to listen to music at 11am - sharing a grilled cheese and a diet coke - before things got crowded with drunken revelers. And then we spent the rest of the day running errands and getting ready to head to Kentucky.

The day had almost near perfect weather and we sat outside late into the night listening to music and playing games. Finally about 11pm we made our way inside to go to bed. I was brushing my teeth when I heard a huge bang and opened the bathroom door to find Jason laying on the floor of the trailer holding our door handle in his hands.

Now Airstreams are built really well, but we have had problems with our door since day one. We have had it serviced but it has never sat right on the hinges and we have to give it a tug to lock it from the inside.

Well, when Jason gave it a tug, instead of clicking into place like normal it clicked into place, locked, and surrender the handle for good.

A few days before I had been reading on some Airstream boards about a glitch with the locking mechanism. That sometimes it just pops without warning and locks the door. I had literally been telling Jason about it earlier in the day and saying that their were videos online on how to make a quick fix so it wouldn’t happen to us.

Well, all good intentions as the saying goes, because when the handle broke off, the mechanism popped into place and locked the door. We were locked inside the camper with no door handle to get out. And try what we could with the tools we had inside - it wasn’t going to budge.

I was really proud of the two of us and I credit our response with how much we have weathered together since moving into our Airstream. We didn’t freak out. We didn’t yell. We didn’t panic. After about forty minutes of trying to get out we sat down and discussed our options. We both finally realized that one of us was going to have to go out the emergency exit and hope that the door could be opened with the key from the outside.

Given the state of my knees we both knew that the person going out the window would be Jason. We tore the binding that held the screen in place and Jason proceeded to try and find an easy way out of the window. Keep in mind that the window is about six feet off the ground and has a super sharp edge all the way around. He managed to get both his knees on the edge while holding onto the edges. He gave me a look, counted to three, and launched himself backwards.

Amazingly he landing on his feet somehow. He opened the door with the key and we attached a vice grip to what was left of the handle and went to bed. Figuring we would deal with it all when we got to Kentucky.

We arrived in Kentucky in the late afternoon the next day. We knew the campground we had booked was no frills but we didn’t really realize it was essentially a field. But it did come with hookups and the nicest guy running it. When he met Brigid he offered to put us out on the edge of the field far away from everyone so she could have room to play. We jumped at the chance even though the field looked like it hadn’t been mowed in weeks.

After we got settled he came back with an edger and proceeded to edge a few places around our camper which just left big piles of grass. For the most part - we were still in a field with tall grass - and lots and lots of strange bugs. I dug into my closet and pulled out my boots. I knew I was going to need them.

We spent the next couple of days doing some sightseeing. We visited the National Park sites where Lincoln was born and the land where his boyhood home had been. We hiked about in both places and marveled at the beauty that is Kentucky.

On Memorial Day we drove to the Abbey of Gethsemani and picked up the trail map outside their enclosure detailing miles of trails on the land they own across from the monastery. We spent a beautiful - all be it scorching hot day - hiking and taking in more fields and beauty. That night we both went to bed feeling tired and sore.

I had signed up to go on a contemplative sunrise walk the next day at the local arboretum. My alarm went off before the sun came up and before I could move I knew there was something wrong. I was really sick - more sick than I had been in a really long time. Jason pulled out the Covid tests and my test turned positive in the blink of an eye. I spent the next few days with a fever in bed. I can’t tell you much about them because it is all a blur. By the end of the week Jason had joined me.

So far the majority of our time here in Kentucky has been spent feverish, coughing and exhausted - in a field. With lots and lots of weird bugs and a few homeless cats.

But it hasn’t been all bad. The fireflies here are abundant. The evenings are peaceful We have plenty of groceries. And we didn’t have to take Brigid on a walk when we were feeling icky because we could just open the door and let her run out and do her business in the field. We even stood in the doorway and threw the ball for her.

And they did finally come by and mow the tall grass.

But we have both been pretty aware that we are on our own out here. There is no neighbor to call on. No family around the corner to take us to the doctor. On the day I needed to go to the Instacare in town Jason had to get up and drive me there.

There is nothing quite like getting sick on the road to let you know just how “far” from home you really are.

One of my favorite stories of Saint Benedict tells of a time he had a visitor arrive while he was still living in a cave in Subiaco - well before he had written his famous rule or become the abbot of a monastery.

The story goes like this. It was Easter and another priest had a vision that he should go and visit the hermit living in the cave to celebrate Easter with him. And in his vision he was told to bring food. So he packs up a picnic and traipsed off to the cave in the hills. When he gets to the entrance of the cave he announces himself and tells Benedict that he has brought food. Benedict has no idea it is Easter. And the priest says to him, “did you not know it was Easter?”. And Benedict replies with one of the most beautiful things I think ever said “It’s Easter for me now because you are here.”

Right before we plunged into sickness we had our own Easter greeting arrive on our doorsteps. Early Sunday morning we got a text message from a dear old friend. We had not known that his family had been going through their own trials and troubles. And that they had needed to put their boots on too, but for much more challenging reasons. Our friend sent us a link to a YouTube video and a picture of him on his back patio getting ready to play online for his church service. When we clicked on the link for the video we were delighted to see the video was of one of his original songs. I was instantly reminded of the story of Benedict and the Easter celebration.

It isn’t easy being sick in a field without any friends or family close by. We had anticipated that there would be days when we got sick while we were on the road but we didn’t expect it to happen to both of us at the same time. And considering we are both vaccinated and boosted we never imagined it would be Covid. But into the midst of feeling sad and lonely and generally icky, came a greeting from an old friend. A gift. A song. Something to make the distance we were feeling slip away.

So boots on my friends. I have a feeling the world is heading into some messy things. So lets be sure and practice our Easter greetings as much as possible for one another. So despite what the future holds when we arrive - be it in human form - or via a card, text, or song -we can say to one another, “it is Easter for me now because you are here.”

P.S. - Here is a link to our friends song. I know it will greet you with beauty and joy this day so I encourage you to give it a listen.