Working towards the RV - a process

It’s for real...........3/31/10

Wow. It’s real. We have a renter. we put a deposit down on an RV. I guess, we’re going somewhere!  Really??



 

 

This has really snowballed fast. It seems to be a pattern in our lives. Not a bad one I guess. But a pattern nonetheless. We think of something. We do some research. We put the plan into motion. That last putting it into motion bit always seems to be a fast transition. I think it’s a good thing though.  If it stretched out over a long period, would we actually do these things? I guess long term plans may happen and for some people it may work.  But for us, short term action plans, whether major or minor, are the ticket.

 

This pattern appears problematic at times, for others. As as example, I give you my mother. Her comment when we first told her we were thinking about RVing full time was: “The problem is K, you always do what you talk about!”

 

Is that REALLY a problem?? I guess it depends on how one looks at it. Here’s how it happens: I like to explore and read about all sorts of people and things in many areas of life. Those reading encounters give me strange notions.....I like thinking about those notions, researching them, and then, well, applying them to our lives if it suits us. Taking action.  What’s a life if it’s not full of action?? There is such a thing as analysis paralysis is there not?  S can be accused of that at times, but surprisingly, it does not appear to be an issue for me. That is not say I don’t thoroughly research and think about major changes in our lives. I most certainly do. In fact, I was once told by a good friend that I’m the only person she knows who reads more nonfiction than fiction. It’s true. I love a good novel, but when I check out multitudes of books from the library, they do all tend to be nonfiction.....

So, back to that bottom line: We are going to officially be homeless very soon, so we’d better get organized so we can hit the road! :-)

 

The in-law response........4/6/10

So today we told my in-laws about our plan. S was surprised by my MIL’s reaction: Great! Terrific! Have fun and see the country! Me? Not so surprised. She jumped aboard the whole homeschooling idea once she saw it in action last summer during their visit. Before that I’m not so sure what her opinion was. She was thrilled with the fact that, and I quote, “they’re exposed to everything! It’s remarkable, it’s wonderful!”. Was I surprised then? You bet ya! But grateful. Therefore, her reaction to the RV business, not surprising to me in the least. My FIL is quite another story. His reaction was pretty much predicted by both of us. Reserved, apprehensive, worried. About the future in particular.  Not surprising for a man of a generation that spent a great majority of life focused on building a career to support one’s family and have a secure retirement. Well, I don’t have to tell you that there is no such thing anymore as a secure retirement do I? Security based on a life long job just doesn't exist anymore. It is also quite rare these days to even remain at the same job for your entire career, In fact, it’s pretty much unheard of in the modern industry of today. But, that’s not the world he knows, so his concerns are quite understandable.

 

Between their two reactions is where I find my peace. Yes, one does need to be thoughtful, take care and work towards having some kind of financial security, present and future.  But, I also know that you never know what life is going to deal you. You can spend decades working on your career, planning for your future and all the fun you’ll have in retirement. And then, never ever get there. Never have a future. We could be hit by a bus or struck down by a disease (God forbid).

We just don’t know. Of course, everyone lives and should live according to their priorities. To each their own. But my philosophy is this: Live while you have life. Don’t wait until later, there may not be a later. If you want to travel, find a way to do it now. If you want to write a book, find a way to do it now. If you want to climb Mount Everest, find a way to do it now. Life is not for waiting around. Life is for living TODAY.

More clues that it is indeed happening........4.6.10

Well, the actual real first step has officially occurred! We’ve traded in S’s jeep for a HUGE pick up truck!

 

Now, you need to understand that this was S’s first baby. He bought it new (remarkable for this man!) 12 years ago, after his first 6 months in the work force. This was his prize possession for years. So, yet another milestone here..... Anyway, after saying good bye to the Jeep this afternoon, hugs and all, we welcomed S home with the new monstrosity (I guess that will quickly become a very relative term!) - Whirlwind was almost in tears: “but I love the jeep!”.

 



 

Frown very quickly turned upside down when he got to climb into the monstrosity (guess we’ll have to name this thing).

 



 

 

Wow. The first concrete change to occur.....things are beginning to sink in.....Guess it’s about time.

 

For the habits, they are a changin’.........4.26.10

As I get organized to move into an RV, I am finding that my daily habits are changing as well. I’m not taking out every spoon in the drawer to use while preparing food, I won’t have that many to choose from in the RV. I’m heating up the water for some miso soup only until it’s slightly warm and immediately turn off the burner, thereby saving propane. I’m presoaking the silverware and dishes in the sink and using minimal water while washing and rinsing, thereby conserving water in the fresh water tank. The one thing so far I am quite intentionally NOT doing is taking shorter showers. Those I am savoring until the very end ,knowing good and well that I won’t be hanging out enjoying the hot water in the RV. Mine will probably be the loud shriek echoing through the campground when my hot water’s run out!

Pre trip musings......STUFF: Just too much of it!

How crap brings about enlightening moments....

While gathering, sorting and packing our crap up for sale/give away, we of course came across many items that I’ve held on to since my children’s babyhood. Things like books, the Fisher Price farm, whinnie the pooh blocks, nap mats. All things I thought I needed to physically hold on to so I could hold on to their babyhoods and not lose it. As we came across the books, we reread them. Books like I Love You as Much, Chugga Chugga Choo Choo, Time to Say Goodnight and Jamberry. Rereading these baby books to them made me realize a very important thing. I always thought I missed those baby years terribly. Not the obviously unpleasant parts like dirty diapers (though I never found them that terrible) and sleepless nights (which I *did* find quite terrible). But I always thought I had longed to have my kids be babies and toddlers again. Longed to be able to hold them with one arm around them on my hip, to burp them, to carry their tiny sweet squishy bodies around and smooch them until some outside distraction made me stop.

Well, come to find out, brace yourselves, shocking news here: I don’t long for those days like I thought I did!!! It’s quite a revelation for me! Turns out I’m more than thrilled with my children at the stages and ages they’re at now. I’ve learned I don’t want them to be babies again (as if that could ever happen anyway). I love love love who they’ve turned out to be and am so excited about who they will go on and continue to become. As I was sitting there reading those baby books to them, I had an important lesson in learning to appreciate the present and not keep looking back to the past longingly. I learned to appreciate them for who they are now. I learned to appreciate life for what it is now. I’m so grateful for that! I have a feeling that if it wasn’t for this purge it might have been a l-o-n-g time before I learned this lesson, if at all. Boy, would I have been missing out on living life in the moment!

I had the honor of holding a 6 week old baby yesterday. Oh the smell, the squishiness, the lightness!  But you know what, I had no longing. I enjoyed every moment with her, but I did not for one second wish I had one that age, nor did I wish my kids were that age again. We’ve moved on people! And we’re thrilled and exhilarated about it to boot.

The other, maybe more obvious, benefit to all this purging, is the light feeling that accompanies it. The release. The freedom. The openness it allows one to experience. Since I’ve now made room in my life for new things (and no, I don’t mean ‘stuff’), new things can now enter my life with ease and much less resistance. That’s a good thing by the way :-)

Rediscovery......

You know what’s amazing? When you remove even just 70% of the crap, um, oops, I meant, toys (!) - kids end up playing with long lost and forgotten crap, um, I mean, toys. Kind of like that whole can’t see the forest through the trees thing. My kids have rediscovered those funky letter foam blocks (you know, the kind that can form somewhat of a foam mat or soft surface). They have spent hours, yes, I do mean hours, today playing with them. Building buildings, paving roads, creating science labs. Give a kid time and space (and removes surpufluous items from their lives!) and they can come up with the world!

Kitchen junky.........

Admittedly, I AM a kitchen gadget/tool junkie. I full on confess to it. But, even given that fact, exactly how many strainer colander thingies does a human being need I ask??? What was I thinking?! As I go through my kitchen and pull out loads and loads of STUFF to sort into 3 piles: Take to the RV, store away and give away - I really realize (can you say that? sounds funny) that I don’t need, nor have I ever needed, a great majority of it all! OK, so maybe I used 90% of the items in this kitchen at least once, but really, the RV pile is pretty small. That means, to me anyway, that most of what occupies my tremendous amount of cabinet space is superfluous! Another realization just hit me though - a lot of what I’m parting with is for cooking, real live cooking with heat. We don’t do much of that anymore for the most part, so if it doesn’t serve a ‘raw’ purpose - mostly, it’s gone baby!

So much for the list.........

OK, I give up. I simply cannot finish a room! I get to the point where I just stand there staring at stuff in various piles. I stare and stare hoping that somehow they’ll pack themselves......and I walk out in disgust. So far, my new system seems to be working better. Do as much as I can tolerate in one area, then move on to a different one. Say! That closet looks like a good thing to tackle now. Sick of sorting towels and sheets? Let’s try the kitchen! Hopefully this system will pan out and all will get done eventually. So much for scratching things off my list as they get done.  At this rate, I’ll only get to scratch things out when we’re walking out the door for the year.....

Mission Accomplished!

As proof, I offer up these photos.

First, the notorious junk drawer.......It's EMPTY!!!!

Second, an emptying living room.....



And finally, The List! It's mostly scratched out!!!