We’ve been traveling in Fern, our 1984 VW Westfalia Vanagon, for over a month now.

It’s long enough to stop feeling like a vacation and start feeling like a life. There have been beautiful places, great meals, spectacular views, mechanical problems, expensive repairs, and a surprising amount of coffee.

And somewhere along the way, I realized that Fern is teaching me things.

Here are three of them.

1. I really, really love the boat fan.

This may sound like a ridiculous thing to put first, but if you’ve ever slept in a tiny camper on a warm night, you might understand.

We have a boat fan that moves the air through Fern while we sleep. It creates the most perfect little breeze. All night long.

It is, honestly, some of the best sleep I’ve ever had.

There is something deeply satisfying about lying in bed with the windows open, the air moving gently around us, and knowing that tomorrow will bring somewhere new. And almost every morning we need the duvet. Even in the summer. And it just feels so great. A cool snuggle every morning.

Also, because it is a boat fan, it uses very little power. So we can use it, even when we boondock. It makes me very happy.

Who knew?

2. Overall, I am happy.

I’m happier with small things.

A really good piece of fruit. Fresh vegetables. Peanut M&Ms. Coffee. An empty afternoon on my calendar.

Giant Trees. Hot Springs. Creeks. Rivers. Lakes. Ok, really ANY water. We paid for a double campsite just to be on the riverfront of the McKenzie River and it was worth every penny. We felt like big spenders with all that space on the river.

Adventure.

On this trip, I’ve been experiencing happiness as something more ordinary—and much more available.

We’ve had some bumps this year. Some things have been difficult. And I’m happy to be past some of them. But perhaps the bigger realization is that I am capable of being in charge of creating the joy in my own life.

I figure out my calendar to make it flow the way I want.

I notice beautiful things.

I eat good fruit.

I have another coffee.

I say yes to an adventure.

I pay attention to what makes me feel alive.

I practice creating joy. I practice paying attention to it.

3. I still love traveling with Mel.

This might be my favorite re-discovery of all.

After 25½ years together, I still like being with him.

I like him.

I enjoy his company and he still surprises me. He amazed me by selling his book tent to tent at the Lyons Folk Festival. He keeps selling out of books. We’ve had fun learning more about Instagram.

We make each other laugh. We have different ideas about things.

We have little negotiations about where we’re going, what we’re eating, when we’re leaving, and whether something is absolutely necessary to bring into a camper that is already approximately the size of a walk-in closet.

And somehow, after all these years, I still want to see what happens next with him.

There is something pretty wonderful about that.

Fern, for now

Fern is not luxurious but she is amazingly well designed. Everything has a place.She is 42 years old. She offers a view from the front window that can’t be beat. She occasionally costs us some amount of money.

She’s still always much less than $150,000 new camper. That’s pretty cool.

A month of van life has reminded me that happiness doesn’t necessarily require more. Sometimes it requires less. Less stuff. Less schedule. Less certainty. Less striving. And more attention.

More fruit. More coffee. More fresh air. More adventures. More conversations with strangers.

For now, I’m going to keep being happy traveling with Mel & Fern…