Take the lessons from a difficult year and grow financially, professionally and spiritually. By Joseph Guinto Photo-illustration by J.R. Arebalo
by J.R. Arebalo
ur home lives, careers and finances have all been upended by the pandemic and the economic downturn. Those challenges are not likely to go away soon. Still, as this year winds down, we can work toward a new normal — one that can be more professionally rewarding, more financially secure and more spiritually enlightened. Here are six habits to adopt now in hopes of creating a better 2021.
Improve your financial security. ONE:
Build up your retirement and emergency funds. Reassess your savings plan, based on what you have, and, importantly, what you have not spent money on during the pandemic. “The current times make people realize that it’s possible to cut significant spending on a lot of things, such as restaurant dine-ins and takeouts and luxury goods,” says Ian Wright, the CEO and Founder of Bequests, a retirement information site. “Funnel the money you’ve been saving into your retirement savings or into building your emergency funds,” Wright says.
TWO: Make a habit of paying down debt. “Consolidate your debts so you’re not paying interest on multiple loans, and make more than the minimum payment whenever possible,” says Zach Reece, the chief operating officer of Colony Roofers in Atlanta. “Then, when emergencies arise, you will be in good standing and have a good credit score to either up your card limits or get loans more easily.”
Advance your career.
ONE: Start each day with the hardest stuff. Alex Azoury, the founder and CEO of Home Grounds — a company that helps amateurs brew coffee from home like baristas in the shop — always begins his day tackling the toughest, most unpleasant tasks first and then moves on to tasks he enjoys. “That not only checks those unpleasant tasks off my to-do list in a satisfying way, but it makes me more a person of my word,” Azoury says. “It proves I will show up and do something I have to do, even if I don’t want to.”
TWO: Work is hard, especially now. But make a habit of being as positive as you can as often as possible. “Bitterness, resentment and constant complaining hinder growth,” says Ian Kelly, vice president of operations for NuLeaf Naturals, which makes hemp wellness products. “Choose instead to be solutions oriented, open to feedback, optimistic and supportive of others.”
Boost spirituality.
ONE: Express gratitude each night to a higher power. Whether that’s God or some other type of universal life force or just something that’s beyond your own self, recognize and give thanks for the good that flows from that power. “By directly thanking the source of the good things in our lives, we are more connected with that source and increase that connection,” says Keith Felty, a happiness expert who wrote the book, “America, the Happy.”
TWO: A daily habit of mindful meditation might help to lift, or at least redistribute some of the mental weight that the pandemic and uncertain economy have had on us all. “For a society wholly dependent on technology, this brief disconnect is a moment of silent comfort,” says David Foley, the founder and CEO of Unify Cosmos, a site offering meditation guides. “Sometimes, the simpler things hold the most importance in life. Sit in a quiet room for 10 or 20 minutes. Let thoughts pass you by, and practice being in the moment.”
KEEP FAMILY TIME
As life gets back to normal sometime in 2021, the close family ties many have created over the long lockdown period may come undone. They don’t have to. Experts advise families prioritize hanging onto new traditions like these:
• Cooking together regularly
• Doing puzzles weekly
• Taking a daily walk or bike ride
• Doing the small things constantly like holding hands and hugging
JOSEPH GUINTO, a freelance writer and editor in Washington, D.C., has made a habit of calling his mother more often this year.
BACK TO BASICS
OLD-FASHIONED HOBBIES HAVE MADE A DRAMATIC RETURN AMID THE NEW LOCKDOWN LIFESTYLE. BY HALEY SHAPLEY. ILLUSTRATION BY J.R. AREBALO
BY J.R. AREBALO
When stay-at-home orders began, the pace of American life slowed, but one thing rose: a whole lot of bread loaves. Social media was filled with photos of the wonders that can result when flour, yeast and water are mixed in the right combination. Plus, a plethora of back-tobasics activities filled our time.
“When people are under stress, they look to their surroundings to identify sources of comfort and coping,” said Stephanie J. Wong, PhD, a licensed clinical psychologist. “Activities of leisure and relaxation that are easily accessible, like baking a tasty loaf of bread, fuel motivation to work toward a goal and provide purpose and a connection to something other than yourself.”
New outlook on time
Strategic programs manager Erin Beacham was one of those who hopped on the bread bandwagon. Although she’d grown up baking, she’d always been scared of yeast — but with a wideopen calendar, she figured now was the time to give it another go. In her pre-coronavirus life, proofing bread for 18 hours would’ve been tough to manage with her schedule. Now, that was no longer a concern.
“Before the pandemic, I had a lot of plans up in the air; there was always something in play,” she said. “As soon as the pandemic started, everything just dropped. It was that feeling of music stopping and you didn’t realize it was going on, and all of a sudden it was really quiet.”
Beacham also started cooking more elaborate recipes and dedicated herself to training to run a Boston Marathon- qualifying time. Both gave her something to look forward to. “Routine and structure help me get through the day,” she said. “Now that the pandemic’s here and it feels like I’m just floating through it, untethered to other people and other things going on, it’s nice to have that structure and routine as part of daily life.”
Planting seeds of hope
Baking isn’t the only old-fashioned hobby that Americans took up during hours off. Suddenly, pursuits such as gardening, knitting and other practical, hands-on hobbies came into vogue. Jim Chen, who works in investment management, learned to use a sewing machine and began growing a variety of plants on his patio.
Without having his usual experiences like meeting up with friends and going out to dinner to inject variety into the day, Chen found that caring for his plants — and experimenting with which conditions worked best for them — provided a way to see progress in a time when it felt like nothing was moving forward.
“With these plants, you start with a seedling, and they grow a little bigger as you take care of them. It was a nice marker of the passage of time during this period,” he said. “I’d move the plants several times a day to optimize the sun exposure, which helped break up the day a little bit and gave me a reason to stay more active throughout the day.”
In times of uncertainty, a simpler, self-sufficient life is appealing — there is great value in learning the basic skills that can sustain us and save money. Tactile hobbies also provide a grounding element that’s not only calming but can make you feel more useful and connected to the world around you. With news headlines that can feel out of control, there’s comfort in knowing that seedlings will still sprout, stitches will still create a finished product and bread will still rise.
HALEY SHAPLEY is the author of Strong Like Her: A Celebration of Rule Breakers, History Makers, and Unstoppable Athletes.
HOME NO THE ROAD
BY JORDAN RANE
What makes a great American road trip? There are just three basic, agonizingly subjective factors.
First, you must pick the perfect road — or roads. Whether it’s Route 66, Highway 61, Natchez Trace Parkway or your favorite interstate, there are no shortage of long and winding options crisscrossing every facet of the country — full of pull-over attractions, novel experiences and lifeaffirming scenery en route.
Next, there’s the right mode of conveyance. This year, according to recently soaring numbers, that would be an RV. According to Roadshow by CNET, motorhome rental increases have spiked as high as 650% in 2020 due to a sustained thirst for healthy domestic adventure in the age of social distancing.
Finally, there’s the passengers. If you’re going to be sharing this mobile residence with close company for hundreds (perhaps thousands) of fun-filled miles, you’ll want to be clear about the right folks to share the road trip.
As for the road and the ride, here are three iconic behind-the-wheel destinations plus an RV primer to inspire a transporting experience on your next rolling odyssey.
COASTING ALONG THE PACIFIC
Defined broadly, the Pacific Coast Highway is a border-to-border, 1,650-mile bucket lister comprising stretches of U.S. Route 101, California State Route 1 and Interstate 5 from the top of Washington to the bottom of California with front row seaside views a good chunk of the way. Rolling past temperate rainforests of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, giant desert dunes and sea stacks of Oregon, giant redwoods of Northern California and SoCal’s Riviera, with several world-class cities in between, a Pacific Coast run is really several unforgettable road trips built into one.
Somewhere in the middle of it all (if we had to direct you to a single area) is Big Sur. Serpentining for about 90 spectacular miles between San Simeon (Hearst Castle) and Carmel, California’s central coast showpiece is guaranteed to summon waves of joy, awe and palm-sweat all while sitting behind the wheel.
Exploring this American National Scenic Byway in an RV gives you license to rise above the usual Big Sur dash, experience central California’s spectacular edge at your own pace — and make good use of several motorhomefriendly campgrounds hiding along the Big Sur coast without having to pitch a tent or shell out for a pricey hotel.
Explore Sand Dollar Beach. Take a hike into the hills of the neighboring Ventana Wilderness. Lounge on the ocean-facing terrace of Big Sur village’s storied cliffside restaurant, Nepenthe, with an Ambrosiaburger and sweeping coastal panoramas. Then pull into Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and you’re home for the night in a grove of towering redwood trees and California Scrub-Jay alarm clocks.
PARK-HOPPING IN THE DAKOTAS
On a meditative roll through the heartland, South Dakota’s rambunctiously designed southwest corner is an obvious road trip magnet. Rugged, removed and rife with history and legend, the hauntingly beautiful back highways of the Black Hills aren’t just built for Harleys and zippy compacts. Meandering through the land of Custer and “Wild Bill” Hickok in a sturdy RV gives you license to cruise Highway 385 and fabled Iron Mountain Road (aboard compatible smaller models only, if you dare) with its tight pigtail bridges, narrow tunnels and innumerable switchbacks at your own courageous, leisurely pace.
Deadwood. Mount Rushmore. Wind Cave National Park. Crazy Horse Memorial. They’re all in the neighborhood. Along with Custer State Park and its aptly named Wildlife Loop Road where the deer, bighorn sheep and buffalo herds are waiting for their close-ups.
About 100 miles east along I-90 (after a mandatory stop in the small town of Wall, dominated by the must-see retail emporium, Wall Drug) is Badlands National Park — where most of the park’s million annual visitors barely spend enough time to glimpse this place’s wild earthen architecture from behind a windshield. That’s good news for unhurried RVers spending a night or three at Cedar Pass Campground to experience sunrise and sunset in one of the continent’s most haunting geological imprints.
American Airlines Federal Credit Union
In addition to great financing on new and used cars and trucks, the Credit Union offers attractive rates on a variety of recreational vehicles. To find out more, visit AACreditUnion .org/auto
Ready to raise the solitude and odometer a notch? A mere 300 miles up the road along Interstate 85 is North Dakota’s hidden jewel, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, an even further off-the-radar badlands preserve.
MARVELING AT MOUNTAINS IN WEST TEXAS
Yes, there are mountains in the Lone Star State. Sufficiently big ones, and you’ll have to drive big distances to see them. The payoffs are some of the most secluded and starkly beautiful hills anywhere.
Starting from the upper left corner in El Paso, the “Top of Texas” is less than two hours east in Guadalupe Mountains National Park home to the state’s highest point, 8,749-foot Guadalupe Peak. Amazingly, this lofty expanse of ancient wilderness — geomorphologists call it “an Island in the Desert” — isn’t the most off-the-beaten-path park in the West. That distinction goes to its distant neighbor Big Bend, hiding about 200 miles south, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
WHICH RV WILL IT BE?
RVs run the gamut from bus-sized crowd pleasers to ingeniously compact living spaces on wheels. Which roving residence has your name on it? Here are the three main motorhome classes and some towable options to get you up to speed.
CLASS A: Thinking big? Here’s your RV. These are the behemoths built for comfort and classic comedies like Meet the Fockers, We’re the Millers, and your very own fearless family road epic. Ranging from 20 to 45 feet in length (or more), Class A’s can fit up to 10 passengers and generally come with all the luxury amenities one is expecting for the price. On the compromising side, fuel cost is high, agility is low and some states may require special driving permits.
CLASS B: Why is the smallest-sized RV class oddly plunked in the center alphabetical slot beside its heftier Class A and C brethren?
We’re guessing because this compact camper van-style motorhome—which can typically haul six and sleep four passengers — is designed for those in-between spaces (and more snugfitting campsites) where larger lettered motorhomes dare not tread. Bare necessities include bed, sink, toilet and limited storage space.
CLASS C: Here’s the comfy hybrid-ish middleground between Class A and B that spares you feeling like you’re in a party bus or a phone booth. Built from a standard truck chassis (i.e. not too intimidating to drive or park), Class C campers provide decent space and comfort for up to seven road-trippers.
TOWABLES: Hitching a homey tow-behind rig to an able vehicle can be a cheaper, more flexible option on the road that lets you disengage the R from the V at will. Sizes and styles vary from chic, teensy “teardrop” trailers that a sedan can handle to standard-sized travel trailers, pop-up campers and burly “Fifth Wheels” customized for attachment to a large pickup bed.