Little Big Life

Financially conservative, suburban conformist Michele LaForest Gray has never done anything irresponsible in her life, but she's about to. At fifty-five, the hours seem to be picking up speed and after blowing her retirement savings on a truck and camper, Michele sets out on a hundred-day odyssey across the United States.

Her family and friends think she's gone insane. After three days on the road, relentless mechanical breakdowns, creatively profane DC drivers, and watching her camper fishtail wildly in her rearview mirror, Michele begins to agree.

Three months and fifteen thousand miles later, Michele returns home. The lunatic pace of those first three days had transformed into a joyful experience as she ate strange food, met new people, and reveled in the freedom of the open road.

Back home, Michele's sensible inner voice insists it's time to re-enter the sane world and try to regain some financial security. Otherwise, she's going to be eating a steady diet of cat food come retirement.

Should Michele return to the safety of IRA accounts, retirement saving, and health insurance, or throw caution to the wind and return to the open road? Her family says no. Michele isn't so sure.