Ocala, Florida Cloudy 82 Degrees
How long has it been since you stayed up all night talking about your dreams? I was watching an episode of Home Improvement today that focused on Jill and Tim staying up all night talking and reconnecting.
As we watched it, we both remembered two very pivotal nights in our relationship that led us to the life we lead today. You know the nights. For us the first one was very early when we were just getting to know each other. We hadn’t been on a date yet. I visited some friends camping at a little campground called Spring Lake. I had met him a few weeks before but didn’t know he was going to be there. After everyone went to bed, we sat up till 4:30 am talking and getting to know each other. The second ‘all nighter’ was several years later. We had been married about 4 years and were camping alone at Saylorville (now our summer home and volunteer gig) in Honeysuckle Loop. We sat at the fire, years from retirement, and fantasized about what it would be like to live in our RV and travel about volunteering for various parks. We had just had a conversation with a park host that evening and were intrigued, with the lifestyle. Who knew that brief encounter with a Saylorville Volunteer, would would lead to this!
Serendipity is my favorite word. Not only is it fun to say, but I love the concept of it. The best things in life happen by chance. The full-time lifestyle almost depends on it. We have been very isolated since we left Iowa. Social interaction with familiar people has been limited and savored.
On Saturday two couples arrived at the sites directly across from us. They too, have been craving social interaction having been sequestered on the road for several weeks. The six of us have become instant friends. Had we stayed in Plains, we would have never crossed paths. That is the magic of the full-time life style. You meet people when you least expect to and start talking and all of a sudden you wish you had known each other your whole lives. It started for us in Texas that first year. We met John and Cathy and Peggy and Lloyd. We made a deep connection with both couples and stay in touch and have seen each other since that first winter. We met Lon and Teresa and Ben and Rhonda last year and by chance they are both in Florida this winter.
Serendipity, a chance meeting with a park volunteer 13 years ago, planted a seed and led Champ and I to this wonderful life we are living today. We know people now that we can’t imagine not knowing. We leave our family and life long friends for a few months a year, but we continue to meet new people who take up space in our hearts. Like Santa’s sack of toys, the heart never gets full, it just expands.
Until next time…
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