It was another ordinary day for Sadie. Since she had retired, her life had fallen tnto a definite pattern. Out of bed at 8AM, eat breakfast, clean the kitchen and then set about doing her daily chores. When they were done, she would either watch TV, read a magazine, or sit at the computer, "surfing the web" as she called it! Then dinner at some time and off to bed around 11:30PM. Sadie had been divorced now for over 20 years and she was lonely. She had never really dated anyone, but she had a couple of girlfriends she would see occasionally for lunch, dinner or a movie. But she longed to do something more with her life. "I think it's time I thought about going on an adventure', she thought...."but what should I do?" Sadie decided to make a plan.

Sadie still lived in the home that she and her husband had bought when the kids were small and still in school. It was a pleasant enough house with 3 bedrooms, living room, dining room, family room and kitchen. The one drawback was there was only one bathroom...but they had managed just fine. When she and her husband split up, Sadie was left with the bills and no child support for her 3 boys. Luckily she had a fairly good job since her boys were small and she had moved up in the company. She retired early, which suited her just fine. She was able to pay off the mortgage shortly after she retired, so now she owned the place free and clear. Her boys were now grown and happily married and she was so proud of them. She decided to have the family over so she could discuss the plan she was formulating in her mind.

She invited her family over for Sunday dinner. She had decided to fix all their favorite foods for they all loved the way she made fried chicken. Along with it she had mashed potatoes and gravy and corn on the cob. For dessert, she had taken some blackberries out of her freezer that she had picked last summer and made a pie. It would go wonderful with the vanilla ice cream that she picked up at the store so they could have pie ala mode! She knew that would get them in a good mood for their discussion. She wanted everything to be perfect. She had decided exactly what she had wanted to do and she really wanted their approval. But even if they didn't approve, she was determined to do it anyway. After dinner they settled in the living room with their coffee. Sadie was trying to work up the nerve to say what she had to say.

"Kids, I have decided that I want to do something more with my life. Ever since I retired, I've just been vegetating in this house. I have always wanted to travel and now that is what I'm going to do." Her sons and their wives just gaped at her. What in the world was she thinking of?

Ralph, her oldest son finally opened his mouth. "Mom, what is it you have in mind? You aren't sick are you? You are just living on your pension and social security. It costs a lot of money to travel you know." Carl and Dan, her two other sons nodded in agreement. "You can't go off traveling by yourself. It isn't safe for an older woman to be traveling on her own." Her daughters in law didn't say anything... they just sat looking at Sadie as if she had lost her mind.

"I have made up my mind, I want to do this before I get to old to have a good time. My health is good and I feel great. There are so many places I want to see and I can't wait around for someone to go with me. I have thought this out and I've come up with a plan." She paused and slowly looked at each person there, studying their faces. "I am going to put my house up for sale and buy a small motor home. I want to see the country while I can. You don't need to worry about me because I'm perfectly able to take care of myself. I will get a cell phone so I will have it in case of an emergency and I will be able to keep in touch with you also." With that said, Sadie put her hands in her lap and waited for their reaction. Ralph, Carl and Dan along with their wives were speechless.

Finally Beth, Carl's wife spoke up, "Mom, it sounds as though you have thought this through. I think it's a great idea and I think you should go for it. Come on everyone, let's give her our support." Ralph's wife Dottie chimed in. "But Mom, how can you sell your house? What will have come back to after your travels are over? Where will you live?"

"Dottie, you don't have to worry. I intend to invest a little money so I will have some when I get back home. I won't have to move in with any of you children. I can take care of myself. If I have to, I will live in my motor home. I don't need a lot of room for just myself."

"Mom, Dottie didn't mean that at all. Go ahead and do what you want. We will help you all we can. We just want you to be safe." Dan and his wife Tammy, even though their faces showed a hint of skepticism, nodded in agreement. So everything was settled and Sadie had her plan.

Sadie got busy and put her house up for sale. She had no idea how long it would take to sell, so she took her time in packing up her personal belongings. She thought the job would take a day or two at the most, but she didn't take into consideration all the memories she would be going over. It's amazing how long it takes when you have to look at all the pictures and souvenirs that had been acquired through the years. She had even enjoyed looking at her wedding album. She packed everything in boxes that Dan and his wife said they would store in their basement for her. She had decided to sell her home with all the furniture in it. After all, she wouldn't need the furniture in her motor home. She also decided to trade in her Chrysler Concorde for a smaller car that she could tow behind the motor home. She settled on a Toyota Corolla as that would be just perfect and economical to drive.

Sadie's house had been on the market for two months and she had received a few offers, but she considered them too low. Some of the "lookie-lous" didn't like the fact that there was only one bathroom. Others didn't care for the appliances. One woman even turned up her nose at the stove....which didn't have a self-cleaning oven. Finally just as the contract with the realtor was about to expire, she got a good offer from a young couple with a new baby. She was pleased that they liked her home and were able to buy it. She had already picked out the motor home. All she had to do was go to the dealer and make an offer. Sadie was getting excited now. Her plan was falling into place and she knew it wouldn't be long before she would be on the road.

She had found the perfect motor home, just the right size for her. It had a queen size bed over the cab, a small 4 burner propane gas stove to cook on and a reasonable size refrigerator that was big enough for her needs. There was a small bathroom that was just big enough for her to turn around in and a closet big enough to hold her jeans and shirts with no problem. For a small motor home it had quite a lot of storage space. Plenty of room for dishes, silverware and pots and pans. The kitchen also had a small built-in microwave and a small double sink. There was a comfortable built in dinette and she would be able to use her laptop computer on the table. As far as doing laundry, she would be able to use the laundry facilities in the campgrounds where she stayed. The first couple of nights in the motor home she had a little trouble navigating in the small space, but she was getting used to it and was able to remember where she had put things! It turned out to be quite comfortable for her and she was happy with it. She practiced driving the motor home and she found it was easy to handle. As a matter of fact, she thought it was fun! She had it fitted with a tow bar for the little Toyota she bought. She was busy mapping out exactly where she wanted to travel on the road atlas she had purchased.

Sadie was all moved out of her house now and she decided to leave the next Monday morning. The weekend before she left, Carl and Beth invited her and the rest of the family to their house for a going away party. They had a cookout in their back yard with hot dogs, burgers, potato salad and all the trimmings. Ralph and Dottie, Carl and Beth, and Dan and Tammy all looked over her travel plans and decided she was going to have a great time.

Ralph gave her a hug and said, "You be sure to keep in touch with us. We want to know how you're getting along and we don't want to worry about you." The rest of the family echoed his sentiments and they all gave Sadie good bye hugs and kisses.

"I promise I will call you once a week. After all, I'm only 63 years old and I'm in the prime of my life. It only took me a couple of nights in the motor home to get used to it. I'm sure I'll be very comfortable in it. This is something I've always wanted to do, but I was afraid to take the first step. Now I've done it and I'm sure I've done the right thing. So please be happy for me."

The next morning, Sadie headed toward the horizon....off on her adventure.