Roadrunner Reflections: Questions and Purpose

      Weeks ago I mentioned I am finishing up our first book.  It covers 18 months of planning and preparation to get on the road and then the first seven months of our travels.  I divided it into the Process (Part 1) and The Experience (Part 2).  I wanted remember how we decided to take the leap into full-time RV and then describe all the things we dealt with in order to get on the road.  
      Finally getting to the point of being full-timers was tremendously exciting.  We describe (in Part 2) what it was like at all the different campgrounds were we stayed as "newbies" during our first seven months (May - July).
Here is an excerpt from "The Wonder of RV Living, Vol. 1 in the Roadrunner Chronicles":
_____________________
 "When we were deciding if the RV lifestyle was right for us, we had quite a few discussions.  We spend time thinking out load and wondering if selling our home in Northern Virginia was the right thing to do.  It wasn't enough for us to just imagine if it would be fun.  We were trying to be smart about the decision and ask ourselves direct questions:

• How could we afford an RV?
• Which type of RVing should be consider?
• Were we ready to retire?
• What would we do with our spare time?
• What is our purpose?

Here are some thoughts on the last question:

"Purpose. In our research and planning, we needed some solid reasons to make this dramatic change in our lifestyle.  In the previous chapter I described how we processed what to do with our free time and volunteering.  Was there more to our purpose?  

• Volunteering - As we mentioned, early in our discovery phase learning about RVing, we found we really liked volunteering for Habitat for Humanity.  One discussion on the back porch included some thoughts along the line that maybe,  “this was our calling”. This idea was a significant change in our thinking.  The notion of helping other people was something we liked.  Truthfully, I think we end up getting as much out of building homes as the new homeowners.  We make friends, meet all kinds of new people, learn new skills and have a sense of accomplishment in putting in some hard work for a few weeks.  
• Pursuing Freedom - This lifestyle afforded us a freedom we have never known.  Some have said, “You are always on vacation”. While that may be partially true, it has given us financial freedom, emotional freedom, and freedom to grow older together in a way we never imagined.  The experiences we have shared together have deepened our relationship and caused us to cherish every day.
• Making Friends - We have met more friends living as full-timers than we would ever meet in Fairfax VA.  Living on the same street corner only provides so many new opportunities to get to know people.  As full-timers we have re-connected with friends and that has been wonderful.  Most of these people we would never have had the opportunity to see again, let alone be near where they live and actually get to visit them and catch up on years gone by.  We’ve met lots and lots of people from our high school and college days, people from our Air Force time and old neighbors from all over the country.  It is hard to quantify making new friends and renewing friendships but it is a real joy made possible because of this lifestyle.
• Getting to Know Family - The benefit of getting into our motorhome and parking in town near family has been huge. We have seen more family in the last few years than we’ve seen in the last 40 years.  We’ve learned a lot about them and our heritage and have gotten to know our relatives and family better.  We’ve been able to stick around for months and months when our adult children have gone through some tough times and it has only been possible because we are in our RV. 
• Getting Healthy - This only goes as far as each RVer commits to it.  While we intended on hiking lots of trails in lots of national parks and forests, we haven’t done as much as we thought we would.  Still, packing up and moving every few days (or weeks or months) keeps one active and does promote a healthier lifestyle. Every day we see people walking or doing aerobics and we are more inclined to go for hikes and see new places.  I can tell you there is something wonderful about traveling and yet sleeping in your own bed each night.  Setting up camp, packing up and continually downsizing (we are always getting rid of stuff we don’t need), all promote a healthy physical and mental life.  We are more active than we probably would be in our old house.  It is motivating to see folks 10 or 15 years older than us and see that they are going strong.  They are out there doing it and not sitting on the front porch watching the world go by.
• Adventure - I have never thought of myself as an overly-adventurous type.  I don’t ride motorcycles, I declined my son’s offer (when he was in high school) to skydive, and I don’t rock climb.  But this lifestyle has afforded us a lot of adventure.  Adventure to me means going to places I have wondered about and being there first-hand to see it for myself.  I could not wait to go to Key West, and Glacier National Park and see the Grand Canyon again.  We were enthralled by the idea of parking the motorhome on a cliff on the Oregon Coast and watching the waves crashing into the rocky seashore.  We’ve done those things and a thousand more.  This has been an adventure for sure!
• Travel - We met in the Air Force in the 1970’s and the first seven years of our married life we lived overseas in Asia, Europe and the Pacific.  We love to travel.  The RV mode of travel appealed to us. We tent-camped our whole married life and thought this might be fun.  One reason for our interest in RV living was for the travel, so that we could see more of our great country and not only "hit the highlights" (popular National Parks and well-know tourist sites) but see some of the noteworthy out of the way places."

[From our upcoming book:  

The Wonder of RV Living:  The Roadrunner Chronicles Vol. 1,  © Randy Warner with Pam Warner]

-- Watch for the book on Amazon in the coming week.

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!