VERONICA KUFFEL

JUNE 13

“Soldier, Poet, King” – The Oh Hellos, 2015

My dad taught me there are three basic things a person can achieve: money, health and happiness. At different points in life, you can successfully gain two of the three, but never all at once. I’m not sure why, but that’s been on my mind a lot recently.

Cortez was warm and wet, coated in cloud patches with scattered showers between them. An hour east was the city of Durango, another mining town turned arts district, except this one had a train that went through the mountains.

In my phone, there was a ticket for a cheap ride waiting for me, but I had some time to burn in Mesa Verde National Park before choo-chooing away.

Mesa Verde is home to over 600 well-preserved cliff dwellings, thanks to the concave rock that protects them from most of the environment. It’s a refuge in the mountains, a beautiful, green and beige sanctuary that hides them from the general public eye.

The site was once home to Ancient Pueblo-an peoples, and although the dwellings are heavily studied, a lot of what scientists believe happened there are still theories.

I lead Walie through the winding peaks and soft rain, stopping occasionally to walk out to a site and ogle at the dwellings.

As a kid, I used to make little toy houses and villages in cubbies and empty cabinets. Mesa Verde was obviously a much more sophisticated build, but it made me think about the innate instinct to create a safe home in the environment around you. Albeit a vague comparison, it still made me feel a slight connection to these ancient peoples.

I pulled into one of the gift shops to grab a dashboard sticker. To tell you I was shocked at what I saw walking through those doors was an understatement.

There were leaks. EVERYWHERE. The whole shop ceiling looked like it was about to go down.

A plastic tarp was hastily thrown over kiosks and shelves. It hadn’t rained hard that day, but the accumulated water left small ponds throughout the store.

I wanted to take a picture, but I felt bad for the employees. I quickly bought my sticker and left the gift shop. Ironically, it had stopped raining, but the storm continued to rage inside the building.

After my jaunt through the park, I drove out to my next Walmart campsite in Durango. My fiasco in Arizona convinced me to stay close to tried-and-true sleeping locations. Plus, I was still freelancing for my old job and I needed the service.

My bed folds into thirds, and I fold up one-third of it for a mock chair. On the bottom of it, I drilled in a piece of smooth plywood, making a comfortable yet firm sitting area. I opened my roof window and heated a frozen meal. That night, it was a cheap chicken alfredo.

I snuck my dishes into the Walmart bathroom and cleaned them as best I could. After getting ready for bed, I settled in and pulled out my laptop.

I tried to knock out some articles, but my father’s lesson took up most of my thoughts. Money. Health. Happiness.

I’m still young enough to want to prove my parents wrong, but this was a doozy. You could make a ton of money in your life, which could lead to happiness. But then you overwork yourself and compromise your health. Or maybe all that working helps you afford your health but you have no room to make yourself happy.

So then there’s a lack of money. Without it, it’s a little difficult to invest in your health, but you’re not overworking yourself and thus contributing positively. That would, ideally, lead to happiness.
And then there’s my example. While I’m not rich,

I don’t have a lifestyle right now that calls for a lot. As much as I’ve personally tried, a lot of my healthy habits are compromised by van travel and a lack of a proper career.

But in all honesty, I was happy. Traveling like this makes me feel full. Moreover, it gives me something to write about, and writing makes me happy. It’s annoying at times, but it does make me happy.

At least on the mental health side of things, traveling can be beneficial for that (only at times, as we’ve seen). I guess that’s maybe two?

I continued to wrack my brain on this concept, but my dad’s lesson was tried-and-true. Maybe at this point, it’s not about getting around it, but rather, learning how to create an even mix throughout life.

Sometimes, you’ll have money and health. On other occasions, you’ll have health and happiness. Maybe at times, just happiness and money. I think the goal isn’t to have all three together, but at least two through each phase of life.

My preferences continue to change as I grow. While I wasn’t always the biggest fan of money, these trips have taught me the value of it. While my health isn’t something I’m completely worried about now, it’ll become more important when I’m older.

All in all, I decided my dad was right, which is the conclusion I usually come to. I finished my work for the night and snuggled into my camp mat. Tomorrow, my choo choo venture awaited me.