The Place: Jessica’s Airstream

The Cup: For me, a delightful French Press coffee, pressed by Jessica herself, while Jessica enjoyed a nice cup of hot tea {Because she’s smart and doesn’t drink caffeine in the afternoon}. She also put out some yummy, homemade vegan mini-muffins and cookies. Such special touches!

Background: Cup 35, Bill Jennings made this introduction. Bill met Jessica when she and her husband, daughter, dog and cat moved into Pecan Grove with their shiny new Airstream last summer. Jessica said she’d start her day with some yoga outside, then follow that up with 15  minutes of sitting quietly – meditation. “I imagine he wondered, ‘What’s this girl up to?’ when I did my practice,” she said. Bill, the welcoming guy he is, soon made friends with his new neighbors and it’s a relationship that has remained strong, even though they are no longer neighbors.

Common Grounds

1. What is the last thing you fixed? My garden.
2. What is your guilty pleasure? Wine.
3. How did you make your first buck? At Loew’s Theater as a ticket taker.
4. What is the last movie you saw? Anna Karenina.
5. Where is your favorite place to eat in Austin? There are so many! Any of the vegan/vegetarian places. And Uchi.
6. Who has been the most influential person in your life so far? My best friend’s mom. She has been the most constant source of unconditional love. Simple, pure and kind.
7. What was your favorite TV show as a kid? Happy Days.
8. What is something you’ll regret not doing if you don’t do it? Traveling more.
9. If you could swap lives with someone for a day, who would you choose? Trevor Hall.

If you’ve followed this blog for any amount of time, you probably know that I have a near-obsession level of love, no, adoration, for Airstream. I dream of hitching one up and hitting the road in search of interesting strangers all over the land to interview for the “coffee with a stranger” project. I want to see this beautiful country of ours and meet its extraordinary inhabitants; as many of them as possible, one at a time, with a cup of coffee and a list of questions. Everyone has a story, and I’m all ears.

Why do I bring up my affection for the silver beauty? Because Jessica loves them as well, and she has one. One that we sit in as we share warm beverages and tasty homemade goodies. Yes, for the first time ever, coffee with a stranger happens in an Airstream. {It certainly won’t be the last time!}

We start our visit with a tour which, as you might imagine, takes all of 45 seconds. I must say, I am surprised at the gorgeous aesthetics of the modern Airstream (Jessica’s is a 2012). The colors are warm and inviting, the materials used are high-end, and the clean lines long associated with Airstream make the space feel very calming, Zen, if you will. Although that may just be Jessica throwing off that vibe.

How did the Airstream come into Jessica’s life? Jessica, her husband Jon-Eric, and their daughter Emily moved from Austin to Seattle close to five years ago, as Jessica was embarking upon a yoga instructor training program. Last March, while a contract her husband had been working on was winding down, they started dreaming up what their next adventure might look like. The lure of the Airstream life was strong and compelling, and eventually they decided it was the perfect vehicle for a grand adventure across the USA in search of where they’d land next. As a bonus, they’d get to pay visits to friends and family scattered around.

That summer, they waved goodbye to friends and their community from the windows of Douglas (one of the names they assigned to their Airstream), and they set off. First stop, Oregon. They stayed two weeks at Breitenbush Hot Springs, which Jessica told me was incredible. Having never even heard of the place, a quick Google search revealed its awesomeness. It’s totally going on my travel to-visit list.

From there, they headed to Idaho, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and on July 18th, they found themselves in back in Austin, TX. They’d lucked out and gotten an spot in the much-desired Pecan Grove RV Park, in the heart of downtown Austin. You may recall, in addition to my love of Airstreams, I have big love for Pecan Grove {and a secret, if unrealistic, fantasy of living there}. For the three hottest months in Texas, Jessica and her crew did just that. She tells me that if it hadn’t been for the “watering” options nearby, she’s not sure they could have made it.

Every day, Jessica and her daughter had a ritual. They’d take a walk to the juice shop across the street, grab a drink, then head to the cold, refreshing waters of Austin’s magical water destination, Barton Springs, where they’d spend the day staying cool. Jessica told me that during their time in Austin, the AC never stopped running and the temperature inside the Airstream was always close to 85 degrees. EEK! I feel the energy drain out of me as I imagine that heat. Jessica tells me that what most people do is add another AC unit, and that they’d do the same if they were going to do it again. OK, at least there’s a solution.

On September 18, they set out again, this time to visit some family in the oldest city in the US: St. Augustine, FL. From Florida, they headed back to Seattle, making various stops along the way in Tennessee, Kentucky, Michigan and Wyoming. A highlight from that trip back was finding themselves in what Jessica describes as “the most unearthly place I’ve ever seen” – Yellowstone National Park. Jessica recalls being blown away by the beauty and the oddness of stuff bubbling up out of the ground. I have to agree, the geysers, mud pots and geothermal pools are incredible and certainly a must-see.

Seattle, home for nearly five years, was where they’d spend October and November saying slow good-byes, as they began the process of closing that chapter of their lives. This time, the goodbyes would be more real, with no plans for returning…well, OK – maybe someday.

As much fun as the adventure had been, not everyone in the family was ready for it to keep going. Jessica tells me the story of the day she knew it was drawing to a close. She says her daughter walked back to the only “bedroom” in the RV, belonging to Jessica and Jon-Eric, and declared that she wanted her own bedroom and she was done. Emily had been home-schooled for months and in addition to craving her own space, she wanted friends. I imagine RV parks in the middle of a school year aren’t exactly full of kids. Skip-Bo with the old ladies at the activity center has got to get old at some point.

For various reasons, Austin was a logical choice for the gang to put down roots for a year. The arrived at the end of 2012 and found a lovely home just outside of the city with enough land for Jessica to have the garden she missed while being on the road, with a covered spot at the back for their silver dream, Douglas. Jessica said it was important to them to have it on-site so they could “hitch up and go at any time”. Also, it has the only TV they own, so when Jessica found out about Downton Abby, she made a Sunday ritual of going out to the the Aistream and watching her show.

Here’s the other cool thing about Douglas. He’s available for rent. Jessica tells me that when they were thinking about buying the Airstream, they had a hard time finding one they could rent. They want to offer this opportunity to folks, like me, who fantasize about living the Airstream life and also those who are just looking for someplace cool to spend a few nights. If you want to get a look at Douglas, check out their listing on AirBnB. They will bring it to your location of choice (within reason) and you can enjoy the life for however long you choose.

When I ask Jessica how she’d make her living if happiness were the national currency, she tells me “anything that helps people.” She enjoys getting ready for a renter – stocking the Airstream with goodies she thinks will make their stay extra special, and creating a nice, clean space for their time there. Through her yoga training, she loves helping people move their bodies and find their breath. And through the business that she and Jon-Eric run, Progress, they work with businesses to make sure their website and apps are user-friendly. Check out the Progress website for more information. This business allows her to help both the business who wants a great website or app and also helps the users have a better experience. Win-win!

A book that Jessica found very impactful is one she’ s just finishing up now called Proof of Heaven, by Eben Alexander. Alexander, a highly trained neurosurgeon, had long argued that the near-death experiences so many people have claimed, were simply not possible. Until, that is, he had one of his own. Jessica says she’s read several books about the afterlife, but this one was the most impactful. Perhaps most so in light of the answer to the next question.

“What is the most significant thing that’s happened to you in the last 30 days?” I wanted to know. Jessica took a calming breath and said, “Well, that is an easy question. My dear friend passed away yesterday.” My heart sank and I immediately felt bad for asking the question. Jessica went on to explain that he friend had been diagnosed with breast cancer in July and over the last several months, she’d been declining and they knew the end was nearing. For Jessica, her friend’s death was a definitive moment. She describes for me the gift of sharing her friend’s last months and, in the last moments, being at her side. She says, “I feel so lucky, blessed, filled and changed by the experience. I always knew there was something more to it; more to life. But now, I know it on a whole other level. When you are with someone who is dying, they are operating on a whole different level and they have a way of bringing everyone around them there with them.”

What is Jessica’s greatest achievement? Another easy question, I assume by the quickness of her response. “My daughter,” Jessica says, adding, “I know I may be biased, but she’s the most beautiful person in the world.” I want to hear more, so Jessica goes on to explain that it’s Emily’s heart that’s the most special part about her. “She’s kind, she’s intentional and she’s observant. When she observes something, she finds a way to kindly and gently act on her observations. She takes it all in, takes as much time as she needs and then meets that person where they are. She’s amazing!”

I believe her. In fact, I have proof. When I arrived at the house, the seven glasses of tea I had at lunch, just prior, made a visit to the bathroom a necessary first stop. As I wash my hands at Emily’s sink, I look around and see the typical pink, ten-year old stuff. Various hair products, a few toys, some lip gloss; then, I see something not so typical. Taped to Emily’s mirror is proof of this little girl’s intentional ways – a handwritten note that simply says, “let peace, love and joy enter your day” followed by a smily face, a heart and a star. Wow! I was moved.

Jessica tells me more about the previous day – the day she said goodbye to her dear friend. Jessica took her daughter and her friend’s ten-year-old son out to Thundercloud (a popular local sub shop) to get some food and get out of the house for a little bit. The girl taking their order, perhaps sensing the boy’s sadness, attempted to engage him by asking, “Hey, why aren’t you in school right now?” He responded, “I don’t want to tell you,” and then walked away. Jessica decided to explain to the girl that his mom had just died. I can’t imagine how those words would have stung. The girl looked directly into Jessica’s face and said, “I love you guys.” That’s it. A simple offer of love – human being to human being, offered at time of vulnerability and sadness. The moment impacted Jessica in a profound way.

The next moment would offer another glimpse into humanity. Jessica returned from the restroom, looked out the window of the sandwich shop, and saw a man, carrying a rifle, walking down the street. As if it were a movie, happening live in front of them, a team of police arrived and drew their weapons. Jessica sat, quietly observing the horror in its entirety. Eventually, the man was put in handcuffs, shoved into the back of the police cruiser and hauled away. The part that Jessica found so entirely stunning about the event was the people who continued to stream into the gas station across the street, at the heart of the action, filling their tanks and driving away. The folks who walked into the mini-mart, grabbed a Snickers and a Coke and went about their business. In one moment, she’d experienced love from a total stranger and in the next, witnessed complete apathy for the intensely emotional and terrifying events unfolding.

What’s the take-away here; what does Jessica want the world to know from the experience? “Remember, we could all use more compassion. Consider that everyone is going through something. Be kind and keep that in mind. We need to love one another. And we need to say it more often.” Using the Thundercloud girl as an example, we jest that we need to start saying, “Have an nice day, I love you.”

Jessica offers a powerful reminder that we really don’t know what’s going on with people. But no matter what’s happening, there’s always room for more love. I think her daughter’s mirror message sums it up quite eloquently. “Let peace, love and joy enter you day.”  Have a nice day, I love you.