But, What Do You Do?

Today, I was thinking about RVing and how much I miss it. Truly miss it in a heart wrenching way. Being on the road, away and on a mission to get somewhere new was always so much fun for VST and I. He would only need to look at me and say, “Darlin, where should we go this time?” Wherever I mentioned was just the place he had on his mind. We would be hauling new supplies into the rig and chasing the sunrise.

Many times, the neighbors asked in a puzzled way, “But, what do you do?” It was hard to explain to them exactly WHAT was so much fun. VST and I just liked going places. When we got there, it wasn’t that we had some exciting event to attend, or people waiting to entertain us. We like each other. We liked traveling. We liked seeing Oliver so happy on the road. We liked the beautiful sights along the way as we traversed our country. 50,000 miles with three different rigs.

We were creatures of habit on the road, and so, meals were super easy. Both of us were on Keto most of the time we RVed. Protein, salad, and sugar free anything. VST had his movies packed up, and always seemed to pick a good one I hadn’t seen knowing what I would like. He would save the hardcore war movies for later, when I was engrossed in whatever book I was reading at the time. Oliver would be so happy to have us all together in a small space. He would happily chew on a new bone or toy. The calm peace and quiet was something that radiated from our rig.

For a time, VST and I were traveling to the coast once a month. The trip wasn’t the easiest or cheapest at 600 miles one way and gas at $4 a gallon. We would break it into two nights each way. Once there, we behaved like the locals. Just breathing the coastal air was a treat. VST loved walking Oliver to the pier, always coming back with fan stories. Some I witnessed myself, like the lady who asked if she could take a picture with him. Not VST. Ollie. He was the star. Once, there was an Easter Pet Parade. Oliver did go down for the festivities, but, being a very young puppy, he tuckered out before the grueling one mile pet and people parade.

What did we do? We practiced being retired. We walked. We visited with RV neighbors. We ate too much. We went out sight seeing. We had dinners out. We mapped our next trips and analyzed things that could be better. We talked to each other about lots of things. We argued. We made up. We watched movies and TV. We cuddled. We slept well. We enjoyed ourselves.

What didn’t we do?? We never got bored. We never decided we didn’t want to travel anymore. Most arguments were fixed by morning. We never got lost. We never disagreed about where we were going. We loved remembering where we’d been. We never discussed how the person left would ever survive if the other died suddenly. Because, quite frankly, we never saw ourselves as aging mortals. Just feral parents that were having the happiest time of their lives.

I think of all the trips taken with VST. He was a fitting travel companion for me. It just worked well that way. When Oliver was added into our dance, he worked well, too. We could button up the rig and be on the road in an hour, including all necessary grooming, bathrooming, and breakfasting. We were reasonable about the demands of the weather, and could change plans without question, even though I did mumble loudly on our last trip to the coast, when we were lucky enough to get Spot 1, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The trip was cut in half because of the first major snow storm of the year. It was the last time we would ever visit the beach together.

What did we do? We did US. We did MARRIED. We did COUPLE. We did LIFE. And those things we did while we RVed.

I had planned my first return to the coast in January 2021. A way to start off the New Year on a good foot. A return to a place that will hold some tears and a lump-filled throat for me, when I do get there. Pretty sure the ghosts of good laughs and quiet moments will still be hanging around to taunt me. I’d almost given up going for all the wrong reasons. Too far. Too much driving. Too complicated to take Ollie with me. Too. Too. Too. This morning I made peace with the fact that I have a beach house rented and will be going.

This evening, the California Governor has locked down the county to which I was traveling. Most likely into 2021. Closing the beach. Closing the pier. Closing the reason people travel there. My reservation has been Covid canceled.

For now, I’ll need to find new adventures to places I haven’t been before, traveling in ways that don’t involve an RV. Friends will probably still ask, “But, What Do You Do?” I will just need to smile. Because now, the answer is pretty simple. I’ll Do Me. Plain and Simple. Just Me.