Mary Canary shares life on the road

Posted on Jan 09, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Guest Bloggers, Keith Carlson, MCS, Media/Videos

The good, the bad, and the ugly side of life in an RV while coping with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity.

Post by guest blogger Mary Rives.

(Editor’s Note: Mary is the wife of Canary Report contributor Keith Carlson. Mary and Keith are currently living full-time in their new RV, traveling the highways and byways of America, visiting intentional communities, and bringing Laughter Yoga and the benefits of health and wellness coaching to new and old friends along the way. Read more about their trip at Mary and Keith’s Excellent Adventure.)

On Wednesday, I blogged about how to travel with a little help from your friends, and shared with you a template for a letter you might like to give friends and family before you visit. The letter was written by a friend on our behalf, and has some tips about how to prepare for a visit from loved ones with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity.

While it’s true we are having a wonderful adventure on the road, today I’d like to share with you a video that reflects the darker side of our journey, but of course I am being a pretty good sport! We are looking to switch from this diesel rig to a gas powered one in Texas, just two states away now. The veggie oil thing did not pan out and diesel is worsening my Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, but all this nature is healing it too!

We are 14 intentional communities and 12 states on down the road from Amherst, where we began our journey. We’re hitting our stride with the new lifestyle and feel very blessed and grateful (even though it is as cold here in SE Alabama and NW Florida as it is in New England, for now anyway).

Happy New Year to all–and if you feel like it and haven’t yet, read our New Year’s letter to all on our blog: A New Year’s Missive from Keith and Mary.

If you enjoyed this post, please read these related stories:

Mary and Keith launch their excellent adventure Post by Keith Carlson. The peripatetic nurse is on the road....
How to travel with a little help from your friends By guest blogger Mary Rives. Advance work when traveling: A letter to friends and family...
The woes of public restrooms Post by Keith Carlson. Living with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity can make it an enormous challenge...
Naming the canary Post by guest blogger Amy Pratt. I am a Human Canary - A Self-Poisoner –...

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Tags: Chemicals, Environmental Illness, Featured Post, Indoor Pollution, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Toxic, Video

6 Responses to “Mary Canary shares life on the road”

christi

10. Jan, 2010

It is great to see how other canaries make adjustments to their everyday lives in order to survive. Wish we all could produce a short video to post of how it looks day to day in our unique living situations around the world.

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jacki

10. Jan, 2010

Mary,
thanks for sharing…that is ME in a nutshell…away from people and city’s and towns I feel “normal” …as soon as I am around other HUMANS, towns, stores, yards, cars fumes…I am ill…
I can relate to everything you said..I am your mirrow image..John and & I camp in the wilderness and I am HEALTY..we visit a town I can not go into stores, the town streets hurt..and I leave with asthma,SOB, swollen tongue, headache, shaky, and disconnected/confussed..red blotches on face, chest, neck..and FATIGUE..I want so bad to do another road trip yet they “scare” me also…When you find the safe community to life in..I will be so excited..because JB & I are thinking of maybe moving down the road..and I want to live somewhere as safe as possible no toxic farm lands, no factories, just wild open space of tons of trees and earth friendly people..thanks so much for sharing. xoxoxo keep happy keep healthy
keep the faith.. love jj

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mary rives

10. Jan, 2010

Jackie and Christy,

Thank you both so much for your comments. i am sorry you can relate so well. it really is hard but it is also helpful to know we aren’t alone, thus the beauty of this Canary Report, thanks to the vision and commitment of Susie Collins. (We love you, Susie!)

The video idea is great, C, and JJ, I will post a link to a blog piece we wrote about intentional communities. The only one we found east of Texas that is MCS safe is Earth Haven in the mountains of Asheville, NC.

http://maryandkeith.blogspot.com/2009/12/some-thoughts-on-intentional-community.html

We have more communities to visit and we’ll keep y’all posted n our findings. Meanwhile, off to help my headache heal from being around old folks yesterday…ughh.

Love,

mary

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Vickie

10. Jan, 2010

I too notice an improvement in my health while camping. Thanks for sharing your adventures. Fellow canary.

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Ruth

11. Jan, 2010

Thanks a bunch for making this video for us, Mary. Sounds like the beauty of nature and fresh air (where you find it)is well worth the challenges you’re facing with the MCS. Yours and Keith’s blog is one of the highlights of my day, since I hope to one day be on the road in a Class C again.
Love that you are including stories about Tina on the great adventure, too!!
Happy trails to you guys.

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celia

23. Feb, 2010

I just want to thank you for your sense of humor–

It made me feel better about life–

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