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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Chris Honoré: Reality television and the GOP primaries ... Mural of rescued horses to be unveiled in Talent ... Designer creates spaces for people to have experiences ... Chris Honoré: Reality television and the GOP primaries ... Mural of rescued horses to be unveiled in Talent ... Designer creates spaces for people to have experiences ... MOCHA MUSINGS Mocha Musings: Rites of spring (or on the road again) Comment By Susanne Severeid DailyTidings.com By Susanne Severeid Posted May. 4, 2015 at 6:01 PM Updated May 5, 2015 at 10:07 AM By Susanne Severeid Posted May. 4, 2015 at 6:01 PM Updated May 5, 2015 at 10:07 AM » Social News The cherry blossoms have fallen from the trees and, other than the occasional blast of chill wind, it feels like spring now. So, as a kind of American ritual in preparation for upcoming summer road trips, I spent last weekend cleaning our little camper. This is not just any camper, mind you: it is a vintage, 1978 Toyota Sunrader replete with the original “Aztec gold” shag carpet running up the sides of the walls and plywood sound speakers the size of bread boxes. (They barely work, but I keep them anyway for the retro-ambiance and because it would just feel wrong to throw them out.) “Chuggy” is my own, private Tardis. It can cruise into a camping spot the size of a VW Westfalia, plug into a simple outlet and be home — snug as a ship’s cabin and outfitted with everything I need. One weekend last year, when I was struggling to complete a difficult chapter for a book, I drove out to Harris Beach just north of Brookings. Long, solitary walks along the surf — the salt spray in my face, my hair whipping in the wind — or sitting on a cliff overlooking the wild sea — then ducking back inside my cozy camper, the sound of soft rain pummelling against the fiberglass roof. In the glow of the little wall lamps, and with all wi-fi and cell phone service knocked out by the storm, my thesaurus and dictionary (which I’ve had since high school and still faithfully thumb through) on the table next to me and notes scattered all around; a cup of hot tea freshly poured. This is how I typed away and cried my way through finishing that chapter. Oh, and our 120-pound big, yellow dog snoring happily on the floor next to me, having squeezed himself into the ridiculously small space under the table, up against my legs. I ask you: can heaven be any better? But I digress. I had decided to wash Chuggy, which had been sitting outside in the driveway, unused, for months. As I circled the soapy sponge up against the side, I realized how long it had been since I had done this. Some moss had even begun to grow around the windows. I looked more closely at the stickers from various road trips my son and I had taken together over the years, stickers plastered on as happy reminders of amazing experiences: Crater Lake, Monterey Aquarium, Jedediah Smith Redwoods, Muir Woods, Mt. St. Helens — each one opening a scrapbook page in my mind. As the rivulets of sudsy water spiraled downward, it made me think: I haven’t loved this camper enough in the past several months to have let it become this dirty, this unkempt. And that made me think that we need to be very present in our relationship to things that bring us adventure and pleasure. As well, of course, of the people in our lives, too: Those whom we love and cherish, those who make us happy. Partners and lovers, friends and family. Because they are not always there, are they? People die or move on. Friendships can be forever broken by a word or deed; children grow up and go their own way. And sometimes, it’s as simple as Shit Happens. We can try our best, but we, ultimately, have very little control over the outcome, or the choices, others may make. I continued washing, dipping the netted sponge into the warm, sloshy water over and over again, scrubbing the wheel wells with a brush, climbing up onto the stepladder to reach what I could of the roof. Each time focusing on this old Velveteen Rabbit of a camper that has become like a kind of pet to our family. I look forward to getting it revved up again (as much as it can still “rev”) and heading back out to the coast. To those barefoot walks in the sand calling out to me. And even though you and I both know that my footprints will be washed away, the memory of those impressions and the delicious feel of that cold ocean water between my toes will buoy me up, refreshing me for another day. Award-winning author, TV presenter and world traveler Susanne Severeid is an Ashland resident who enjoys making time for the important things in life — including mocha. For more, go to www.susannesevereid.com. Email her at [email protected].   By Susanne Severeid DailyTidings.com By Susanne Severeid Posted May. 4, 2015 at 6:01 PM Updated May 5, 2015 at 10:07 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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