Feb 24 2008
Why RV? The Other Reason
Why RV?
“Why not?” is both a flippant and serious response, but another thought shoved its way into my thoughts this morning. I have never RVed, though I want to, so I am speaking from observation, primarily - and even that was garnered merely through reading blogs of RVers, though many.
So, let’s first shove out of the way for now, obvious reasons: travel for adventure, the awesome beauty we will discover, the desire to improve the environment by using less energy, CLEAN toilets in our own RV, our own clean and comfortable beds, the ability to eat what we really want when we want and healthier (assuming we have learned to cook), controlling our own schedule, doing our own thing… I better stop now, I know there are more, but I am running out of room here. Those are givens for many people. As for negatives, forget negatives, there are negatives in anything we do if we start looking! Now, on to the other reason.
In our daily lives most of us get to interact with people at home, work, or through our hobbies. Because of our schedules and lifestyles we often meet and interact with the same type of person, or the same people every day. We assume we know what humanity is like through the newscasters and our gossiping friends, our own experiences, and all those magazines that tell us about the “others”. A few of us have expanded our world by jumping onto online bulletin boards. Even that, to a point, is often made up of people with the same interests, though at least many of these people may be of varied backgrounds or cultures.
Those of us who have gone online have learned just how much we are all alike as humans. We have also gotten a glimpse to just how different we are, but usually online those differences seemed more positive than the same off line — where we were readily or easily influenced by family and friends and co-workers.
Disasters have historically brought groups together that would otherwise not communicate. But RVers don’t have to wait for disasters. They are thrown together, if for no other reason than there are so few places to park. There are still RVers out there that are painfully shy or genuine loners that will keep to themselves. For the latter, I would hope their wishes were respected. For the shy ones, I would hope they would run into the gregarious ones!
For the rest of the RVers, whether thrown together because of logistics or just recognizing they have one common bond, the RV, ice is normally broken and conversations begin.
Think of RVs as front porches in comfortable neighborhoods in spring. People are out in the open, only the most rude would not speak. And it is that first, “Good morning. How are you?” that often leads to a pause for more information, for a sharing of words.
There is, however, a major difference between the RV and a front porch. Many front porches are in neighborhoods filled with people with similar cultures, backgrounds, or interests. A common denominator, but a limiting one at times. But a group of RVs in the desert, perhaps, or at a rest stop, could be filled with people from anywhere and with jobs or interests or a culture one has never been exposed to.
This morning I thought of times I have been lucky enough to have a conversation with someone new and learned something fascinating. My mind quickly flashed to the blog posts of RVers this wannabe RVer has read for years. Yes, many post on the wonder and awe of nature and share photographs. But the posts in which enthusiasm is the most apparent, are the ones telling of new people they have met, even those quite a bit different than themselves.
I can get that without RVing, but I want it as often as RVers get it!
