Leaving loved ones behind.

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Here is my 2 cents

1. I applaud you for reaching out on a personal level in this forum, many are not as humbled.

2. If YOU want to be happy, then YOU must go in YOUR own direction, If your friends are truly your friends, they will support you.. Family will always be family they may not support you, but they will always be family

3. If you feel like you need to go out and experience new things, Different life from what you know..
Don't wait on it. Life is to damn short, the experiences you will have will help you grow in a personal way.

You will experience things that many of the people you know , are to afraid to just get out there and give it a try..

4. the beauty of this is it does not need to be Permeant, try it for a year see how it goes, if it doesn't work out, your friends and family will hopefully give you kudos for being strong enough to see out new experience in life.

Do, put so much pressure on yourself to do what you feel is right for you..
 
Good advice... I like adventure, I like to procrastinate... if I gave into the second one it would not have worked out so well on the first like above... when I was asked to speak at my dad’s funeral the thought came to me how in all my crazy ambitions my folks never said anything like “but shouldn’t you be...(fill in the blank).” They were always supportive. No matter what I tried or did they’d never try to steer me different. I thought that was pretty cool. I did a lot of back country canoeing. I’d go up into Ontario or the Boundary Waters in Minnesota for weeks alone at a time. So my family is used to me doing my thing. Even now, one minute I have covid and as I’m talking to my doctor for my E Visit getting released from quarantine I’m driving down the highway to deliver canoes. Haha!
You have to do you... or your not... you! I just made that up... haha!
 
Pizza and Cold Stone at 92. God bless her. Bet she had a great day. I wish her many more and a lot more pizza and ice cream cake. (My two favorite foods.) That alone makes life worth living. *<:)
 
I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who offered their advice and support. It's exactly what i needed to hear. I communicated my concerns to many of my own loved ones and received much the same advice as many of you provided. I look forward to getting back on the road soon. Possibly in mid June or early July.
 
Communication is everything. See how it all worked out. Hope you see lots of exciting things.
“May the road rise up to meet you and May the wind always be at your back” If you’re in SoCal message me and I’ll buy you lunch.
 
I totally relate to you,
My dad loved watching my videos and would ask me to visit certain places around the country so he could see my wife and I have our adventures. He fell and hit his head the day before Thanksgiving and died that Saturday. Worse part was I had to make the decision to try and save him or honor his wishes and let him die.
He was in bad health and was no longer able to travel so he lived vicariously through us. My wife and I decided then (when my dad died) to travel the country as nomads to see the country which excited my dad because he knew it was what I was needing to do.
I ended up waiting until it was going to be warmer weather but unfortunately he wasn't able to be here to see us travel and he really wanted me to see the Crazy Horse Memorial so he could see how much progress has been made since he was there in the 70's as a truck driver.
Long story short, try asking your loved ones what they've always wanted to see around the country, make a list and go to those places first and maybe they'll end up wishing they were there and happy you went and showed them what they'll soon realize how happy you are.
My wife's family is against the idea of traveling the country in a tent and not conforming to community standards. My dad was the last of my family so no problem there.
Understandably you're feeling torn about traveling as we were when my dad was still alive so we could be close but by doing so I never got the chance to visit Crazy Horse and show him the progress and I felt like shit for not going earlier. Don't wait, bad things happen, good things happen, friends and family come and go but you only have 1 chance to LIVE. Don't spend your life trying to make others happy, don't die with regrets and don't wait to follow your dreams.
Ultimately it's YOUR decision on what to do and nobody knows you better than you.
 
Thanks for the inspiration, and i agree. We only live once. I just sat down and made a list of all the places i hope to visit along the way, and feel much more excited and willing. I'm very sorry to hear about your dad. I hope you ge to visit Crazy Horse monument someday. I'm sure that you'll feel him with you.
 
I was attracted to this lifestyle because i felt like i wasn't getting everything out of life that i could. I often find myself depressed, thinking that the world is passing me by. There isn't much going on in my neck of the woods here in south central Ohio. Its an area that is economically depressed, and doesn't have much going for it. I don't see that improving any time soon. All my friends are either married, or committed to their careers and making new ones is difficult because i often find that i don't click with many people in my area. Finding relationships is even more difficult. They seem to be content with their lives, and the thought of leaving all they've ever known would terrify them.

About the only thing that gets me through is that i have a wonderful family and a few very good friends. In the passed 10 years i've seen several members of my family and some friends pass away, and its left me feeling that i should relish every single precious moment i have with them. Yet..the road calls. I wish i could bring them with me, but that is not a realistic scenario. I'm finding it hard to balance the need to fulfill my own needs in life, with the prospect of losing that precious time with them that i hold dear and may never get back. Some of them who i love very much, don't have much time left. I may be on the road somewhere someday, and get the news that they are gone. I would have missed that chance to have those last moments with them. The moments i've missed before, or didn't take advantage of, that still haunt me sometimes.

How do you compartmentalize those feelings of missing out, with the feeling that you need to live your life too?
Have a plan. A good start is save, save not spend, spend. Buy used closes, or factory discards. What are your skills? If you are good with hands (trade skills) the world is your Apple. Even if you had some skills in electrical, plumbing, hvac, water heaters, home repairs, etc. you can go very far. For example, RV and mobile home repairs are worthwhile endeavors. Ok, what if not? Many places cannot find people to stock shelves, senior centers cannot find people to serve or do grounds work, run cash registers, even serve the elders. You can virtually work your way across the country with the proper attitude. People that come from other countries immediately see the incredible benefits afforded by our Republic because of vast opportunities. They do not see barriers, they see opportunities. About not wanting to leave those you love behind: It is the story of mankind. There is no guarantee any of us shall awaken in the morning. Nothing is guaranteed, not even our next breath. Lastly, just START with your home state or region with weekends, extended holiday weekends, small vacations to hit the road to nearby campgrounds, wilderness areas, etc. Expand to adjacent states, there are plenty of national monuments in PA. It is far better to do something small, and not do it. Do not to compare yourself to Bob Wells (he makes over $70K just on commissions!). It is not easy being on the road if you do not have a huge nest egg, savings. Imagine what the costs are to replace tires on box truck with dually tires in the rear! Pick one place high on your list that you want to visit, take that vacation and drive to it (fly if need to). Maybe you could hitch hike with a trucker doing cross country, then either rail, fly, or bus home. You can! Best of luck, and keep your head up!
 
Not a problem for me. The older generation have already all passed away. I have no grandchildren. My son's wife has authority figure issues so is not comfortable visiting with older family members. Friends and siblings my age back home are busy with work or their families. Which means only seeing them once in a while for a few hours now and again...always at their convenience and that includes frequently canceled meetings as things always come up in their lives that are of greater priority. Therefore stay around or go on the road full time makes little difference to my quality of time with them. Phone conversations work just fine.

With the COVID situation my family members and good friends who have children and grandchildren in their frequent contacts do not want occasional visitors around even if they are family. I understand that. Last year my son had acute leukemia and was severely immune compromised so for his sake I did not put the extra worry on him of attempting to visit as he had enough to deal with being in the hospital battling infections every couple of months. My being on the road is is a good thing for my family this last couple of years. You have the ability to decide how you perceive things and how you help friends and family perceive them. But if a close family member or close friend ask for your physical presence as they truly need you there then respond accordingly and try to be there for them.
 
I broke it off with a wonderful woman because I didn't want to move across the country away from my mother. Then she married some dirtbag, became a completely different person and moved to Arizona. Took me 20 years to see that was who she always was. Follow your heart.
 
I was attracted to this lifestyle because i felt like i wasn't getting everything out of life that i could. I often find myself depressed, thinking that the world is passing me by. There isn't much going on in my neck of the woods here in south central Ohio. Its an area that is economically depressed, and doesn't have much going for it. I don't see that improving any time soon. All my friends are either married, or committed to their careers and making new ones is difficult because i often find that i don't click with many people in my area. Finding relationships is even more difficult. They seem to be content with their lives, and the thought of leaving all they've ever known would terrify them.

About the only thing that gets me through is that i have a wonderful family and a few very good friends. In the passed 10 years i've seen several members of my family and some friends pass away, and its left me feeling that i should relish every single precious moment i have with them. Yet..the road calls. I wish i could bring them with me, but that is not a realistic scenario. I'm finding it hard to balance the need to fulfill my own needs in life, with the prospect of losing that precious time with them that i hold dear and may never get back. Some of them who i love very much, don't have much time left. I may be on the road somewhere someday, and get the news that they are gone. I would have missed that chance to have those last moments with them. The moments i've missed before, or didn't take advantage of, that still haunt me sometimes.

How do you compartmentalize those feelings of missing out, with the feeling that you need to live your life too?
Maybe we can't compartmentalize. Life is complicated and hard sometimes. I hear folks on here saying to buck up, be positive all the time, keep smiling etc. I am happy for them if that's their reality. But my life, and having been a part of others as a retired paramedic and assistant deputy medical examiner, I have experienced that life isn't always rainbows and unicorns. Coming to accept this sometimes helps release some of the anxiety that others have pressured me into thinking that I must be upbeat every single moment. There's always a balance. The cognitive dissonance of decisions we make. From reading through this very helpful forum, I see there are all sorts of ways to have my cake and eat it too. Travel some, and stay put some too. Travel to friends and family and stay with them for a while. When you get the itch, hit the road again. I have been delighted by the couples who have a relationship where one travels and the other doesn't. I think anything goes. My biggest hurdle has been loving myself and then listening carefully to the voice in my head that I know to be true, and following what's right. And the best part is, nothing is finite! If it doesn't work, you can change your mind. 😁
 
You could always do what I did and become the black sheep of your family so there's nothing to miss out on that you wouldn't miss out on anyway :LOL:
 
Oh I know all about being the black sheep. My 'family' is not the group of folks who are supposed to be related to me. They are the ones who I have had the good fortune to have picked up along the way. Xo
 
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