October 5, 2021
Temperature 91 Degrees
We Had A Great Four Years But Now It Is Over
It’s officially over. In the past whenever anyone would ask me where we lived, with a great deal of pride I would reply Wherever we park our rig. I absolutely loved being a full timer. I loved being as free as the wind. It was thrilling to know that we could just pick up and go wherever we wanted to whenever we wanted to. This great country was ours to roam.
But I can’t say that anymore. Today we officially listed our permanent address as 5128 Southshore Drive, Polk City. We are now rooted in one spot. Tied to one location. A necessity for some people but not for everyone.
Elvira is no longer our living vehicle but she is back to being simply a recreational vehicle. She sits in the RV port and call me crazy if you want but I can hear her saying Why am I here? Why are we not out on the road together. I definitely know where her heart is.
I mean in many ways life is way better now. No more worrying if the slides will come it. Or if the jacks will come up. No more having to worry about being able to make a reservation. Which is, indeed, getting harder to do in some places. But, well what is life if it doesn’t hold a few challenges from time to time.
So many told me, and continue to tell me we made the right decision. OK, my head agrees but I’m sorry my heart is not there yet. I’m still working through the five stages of grief. I’m somewhere between depression and acceptance. I’m sure I’ll get to the final stage but I just don’t know when.
As for Ms. Barbara, thankfully, she is accepting of our situation. We sure don’t need two of us down in the dumps. Moreover, I’m overjoyed for her. She has a home with many of the things she just couldn’t have when we were on the road.
Yes, this will be our final home. Yes, logically it was the right thing to do. Yes, I’m thrilled for my wife. Then why am I still having a hard time accepting our current situation. One day I agree, the next day I kick myself. Sure, we can and will still travel. But I’m sorry traveling for a few months is not the same thing as full timing. Am I being petty about the whole thing? I just don’t know.
Forgive my rambling. Time now to count my blessings. Time to remember the good times in the past. Time to look forward to more good times in the future. God bless.
"On The Road of Retirement" 
I feel your anguish in this post. I hope you come to some kind of peace with your decision. I wonder how you would feel after you took a long trip. Would it make you want to change your mind, or would you be more content – to go back home for a while? Give your heart some time. And give yourself a break. You always count your blessings. I know that! I don’t think you are being petty. You’re just honestly acknowledging how you feel. Don’t beat yourself up for how you feel. All you have to do is make each day a good day – one day at a time. Try to find the humor and laugh, my friend. Good luck, and take care!
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Maybe if we can do some traveling next year it will be better. Time will tell till then thank you for the reminder to take it one day at a time. Enjoy the day.
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Change is always hard. Take the time to grieve. I admire you for the time you spent as a full-timer; that is not something I would ever be able to do.
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Maybe by now you’re in a better place. I’m WAY behind replying because I missed this somehow. We’re going thru a similar situation. Since we bought the beach place we thought we would sell the RV, but being out in the RV this week we are having second thoughts. Common sense tells us “sell” and enjoy the beach. We’ll need to think this through over the winter. We talked about you when we arrived here and we used the little charger. Thank you again. 😊 We will enjoy every day God gives us and one day we’ll know what we should do with the RV.
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