Ocala, FL Sunshine 60 degrees
If we pay attention, we feel the constant state of personal growth until the moment we draw our last breath. We have learned a great deal about ourselves as a couple and as individuals in our nearly 3 years of being Full-time RV Volunteers. Maybe it is the constant influx of new experience, maybe it is because we are not on the frantic hamster wheel grinding through our years of careers and raising families. One thing is certain, when you live this wonderful lifestyle you become very aware of what really makes you tick.
The experience in Plains and our subsequent decision to come to this urban RV Park and live like the ‘other half' has been a real eye opener for me.
I will start my part time job with the credit union on Monday and fill my afternoons, in my old professional environment full of stimulation and activity. When I left the banking world nearly 6 years ago, burnt out and miserable, I vowed to never return. Here I am going back, albeit in a very different capacity, actually looking forward to it. My motivation is strong. As I have mentioned in past posts, our annual budget with the absence of income from me depends on work camping most of the year. Me working while we lounge at a private park has always been Plan B. My other motivation is simply that I don’t know how to be retired yet. It’s been three weeks since we left Plains, and I am going nuts with no routine or concrete objective when I get up in the morning. One thing I have learned is that volunteering at the parks not only helps sustain us financially, it sustains me mentally and spiritually.
Another thing I am learning is my deep need to be close to nature. I have always been drawn to the woods, but I realize now it isn’t just a preference, I truly need the physical connection to be content and at peace. We are both very social and are loving the little group of 4 couples living in our corner of the RV park. As people arrive for the season, we are meeting more people, and going to the clubhouse to play cards or cornhole. What I am learning is these connections are very different from the connections you make with other couples who are sharing your ‘work’and passions when you volunteer for a park or wildlife refuge. Don’t get me wrong we have made some great friends in our short times in private parks and I love our couple of months of downtime each year. We have talked about going back to one park we particually liked as part of their volunteer workforce and I think I would be much happier, bartering time and elbow grease for a site. By the end of this 6 months in this concrete jungle, I will be very anxious to get back to Saylorville and get my hands in the dirt, walk the trails around the lake, sit on the bank and watch birds or just be in the woods and listen to the natural world around me. In other words I long for Plan A to be back in force.
We will use our time here to visit several Florida State parks and hopefully return in the future as volunteers at one of the natural areas here. You sure can’t beat the winter weather! We went to 31 degrees overnight. Floridian’s are freaking out, but the sun came up and it is quickly on its way to be a beautiful warm sunny day. By 4:00 this afternoon we will be on the patio of a local seafood restaurant with our new friends soaking up the sunshine. I’ll probably be watching the trees for birds and trying to ignore the sounds of the city while everyone chats.
The biggest lesson I’ve learned this past month, is simple, Yes, we volunteer in parks as a means of financing our ability to travel far and wide. But more than that we do it because our souls need it, especially mine. Even if we won the lottery, we would still do it. You can bet, we'd do it in a bigger, plusher newer motorhome and donate a pile of money to the places we love, but I would still be out there doing our small part to help the natural areas survive in our modern world. I wonder what else we will learn about ourselves before this winter is over? Our life as full-timers will evolve as we try different things. Who knows what we will yearn for 10 years from now.
Until next time…
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