We did it! This week we celebrated our 100th day #ontheroad4recovery and our 10,000th mile – both on the same day! It was an incredible achievement for 10,000 Beds! And throughout this journey we have met extraordinary people and shared special moments with many of them. They’ve taught us so much.

So what have we learned along the way? More than we ever imagined, but let me start with this list of ten things we learned, or were reminded of, or gained a better understanding of over the past 100 days:

  1. Recovery is possible. And it’s all around us.
  2. Addiction sucks the life out of everything and everyone.
  3. Tattoos do not the person make, or unmake.
  4. All around us brilliant minds are clouded by addiction.
  5. Self-esteem HAS to come from within, hence the “self” part.
  6. Jesus lives and loves.
  7. Gratitude is the best attitude.
  8. Friends come in all sizes, colors, shapes and stages of recovery.
  9. People are dying. Right now.
  10. There is hope. And hope matters.

And there’s this other list of ten as well:

  1. RV Life is not bad.
  2. Stuff shifts.
  3. Selling our house was the easy part.
  4. Law enforcement loves us (evidenced by the many passing thumbs up!).
  5. People in recovery are everywhere. And they want to tell their story.
  6. We miss our family and friends (now we fly back every 6 weeks or so for a few days).
  7. A Tempurpedic mattress topper is a must for full time RVer
  8. Paper plates rock.
  9. Pulling 16,000 lbs is not for the faint of heart.
  10. BigBlue is a star.

And that’s just a beginning. Thank you for the honor to represent those whose lives are focused on recovery for the past 10,000 miles and 100 days (so far) #ontheroad4recovery. We’ll be working from our Utah office in August and the first half of September, then we will be back #ontheroad4recovery!

We can hardly wait for our next 10,000 miles.


Jean Krisle is the CEO/Founder of 10,000 Beds, Inc. a 501c3 nonprofit organization. Our mission is recovery. We are currently #OnTheRoad4Recovery for at least a year to elevate awareness, change perceptions around addiction and recovery, and connect with partners new and old. You can connect with Jean at the 2017 ETHOS conferences in Chicago, Denver, Philadelphia and New Orleans. You can support 10,000 Beds by making a contribution today to help provide scholarships for those without resources seeking help for addiction.