I Didn’t Realize How Emotional It Would Be…
Living in an RV full-time, traveling the country, sounds like fun, doesn’t it?
“Do it, you will enjoy it.” That is what they all say.
Many of the YouTube videos make it sound glamorous and exciting. Then you see photos on Facebook and Instagram and think, “I so want to be there.”
Let’s Do This!!!
The decision was made — let’s sell everything we own and do just that.
But wait… this means leaving behind family and friends, downsizing to very little, living who knows where or when. Yet, it also means creating new memories, writing a new chapter in our life, finding new adventures.
But, what they don’t tell you in the videos, on Facebook or Instagram is about the emotional side of doing just that. Disposing of all of your life, your history, your previous memories. Sure you can put them in storage, but the reality is “Why?” If your plan is to really do this full-time the intent is not to return, so why the expense, why hang onto all of that “stuff” because that is just what it is…Stuff.
We made the decision to go full-time in an RV right around Christmas of 2020. January and February became an emotional roller coast ride, chunks of it downhill. The issue — we took on too much, too fast, too soon — quitting jobs, preparing to sell everything, finding the right Airstream, learning how to RV, finding places for us to stay in the Airstream, it was an endless list of things to do. I was completely overwhelmed, anxiety took over, fear replaced excitement, and worry took a strong hold.
Emotionally, I thought I was ready to let go. After all, it’s just stuff. A lot of stuff. Forty-five years of marriage stuff.
Then there was the BIG — How do we get rid of all that stuff?
I had to step back and remove myself from the equation. I asked someone I knew, who specializes in moving/estate sales, if she had time to take us on, she agreed and a big weight was lifted off my shoulder.
We still had the task of sorting through the forty-five years of stuff , deciding on what to take. We had to make the hard decisions and ask the hard questions — “will it fit somewhere? And, do we really need it?”
Occasionally though, I would pick up something and think, “Ah, I have to keep this,” usually because there were special memories attached to it but then I would have to remind myself I can’t take everything.
So, we boiled our forty-five years of marriage and photos down to a few small boxes and sent them home with our oldest son and daughter-in-law. Strange to think that forty-five years can fit in a few small boxes.
It was so hard to not go down the remember-when-rabbit-hole. Reminiscing about this or that. The memories kept sucking us in, especially, when we found letters we wrote to each other when Tony was in the Air Force, or school year books, photos of our children, so many photos, so many memories. It was joyful, sad, entertaining, and oh so time consuming.
Now, add to this mix of emotions — the things you need to learn about RVing, like towing and backing up.
Then there are the things we take for granted in our homes, like water, sewer, and lights. Suddenly you have to learn more about these systems and about conservation.
Not to mention living in a small space with your spouse.
Communication in the relationship takes on a whole new meaning, especially as newbies. “No, I said driver side.” LOL
Hand signals need to be agreed upon. Working together as a team is critical. For us, after years of being self-employed and working together, it has been somewhat of a natural transition, not to say that it wasn’t hard sometimes or frustrating, but easier than it could be for some couples.
As things started to come together, elation, excitement, the idea of adventures overruled the past, bringing us back into the present and providing us with a future to look forward to. The memories are still there even long after the ‘stuff’ was gone. The friends, the family, are still there and with today’s technologies it allows us even more ways to connect.
Betty Jo has become home now. Bits and pieces of us are scattered throughout her twenty-seven feet, reminding of us a time before and the time to come.
The emotional roller coast started to crest the hill, as we approached the top we could finally throw up our hands and scream with joy as we soared to the next bend in the track.
It can be scary and thrilling at the same time, but living in an RV full time, traveling the country, does sound like fun. Let the adventure begin.
