The past three weeks have been a blur, not just moving everything we owned from one RV into another, but dealing with the learning curve that goes along with exchanging one kind (a 5th wheel) for another (a motor home.)

We’ve taken Felix on a couple of trips totaling about 850 miles and have discovered things we wouldn’t have otherwise–like finding out that the generator performs better when the fuel tank is full and that it quits abruptly when the tank is half empty. That an incessant, obnoxious beeping is really a signal that the hydraulic fluid is low. And that the slides won’t retract when the engine’s running. For being as old as it is though (16 years), all the important systems are in good working order, and that’s what really matters. All in all, it’s been a change for the better. And wow, how things have changed in just a year!

I’ve always believed that God works in strange ways, but I never would have suspected that our daughter’s traumatic divorce would have been the driving force behind the change in our lifestyle. A year ago everything was in turmoil and each day brought with it more inconceivable truths about an individual we thought we knew so well. Our sole focus then was to help her and our grandchildren however we could, so when they had to move out of their house, we didn’t think twice about offering ours for them to move into. It was a blessing that we still had the RV we’d gotten as a result of being wiped out by a hurricane 13 years earlier, but as I wrote in a previous blog, we wanted something different. After all, both of us are now in our 60’s and setting up a 5th wheel is no easy task.

Now we’re living in about 320 square feet. It doesn’t sound like much space, but it is if you have everything you really need. And we do.

Learning to have gratitude for what I have has completely shifted my perception of what I thought I needed. It’s something that has come neither naturally nor easily. I realized that I’ve lived most of my life taking things (and especially people) for granted, and I thank God I’m learning a different way of viewing ‘wants’ and ‘needs.’ Granted, I’m still hanging on to about 15 pairs of shoes, but I really do plan on thinning them out someday.

What makes living in a small space doable is that most of the furnishings have a dual use. Both driver and passenger seats swivel around, becoming part of the living area. Both couches make into beds, as does the dinette. There’s storage galore and we have a screen that zips on the awning that gives us a nice, shady “patio.”

Of course, getting along well with one’s partner is paramount. I’ve known couples that couldn’t get along, no matter what the size of their house was. I’ve been blessed with the most patient and wonderful man to share my life with, and now we have the perfect means of living life on the road while we’re still healthy and mobile.

One of my most vivid recollections of living on a boat was about 25 years ago. We were anchored in a creek near Georgetown, South Carolina. That evening, near sunset, a sailboat slowly made its way towards the fixed wooden docks. An older couple–60’s, maybe 70’s–was aboard. He was the captain and steered the boat from the stern; she was the first mate and was stationed at the bow. Her job was to lasso one of the wooden pilings with the bowline and tie it off at the cleat. Numerous times she heaved the line, but she just couldn’t toss the rope high enough to clear the top of the piling.

The tide was going out and the captain did his best to maneuver the boat and keep the stern from swinging around. It was painful to watch, and I remember thinking then that we were NOT going to be like some older people who wait for that arbitrary “someday” to do the things they want to do once the kids are older and are out of the house. We would do it while we still had our health, vitality, and stamina. And we are.

Most people who read this probably won’t be able to understand my wanderlust, but those who really know me will. And those will be the ones who “get” how Dave and I can be happy living in 320 square feet. It certainly isn’t for everybody, but if you care to travel along with us vicariously, you are certainly welcome to come aboard!