Wisdom is knowing when to have rest, when to have activity, and how much of each to have.” — Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
RVing is one part minimalism, one part escapism, one part exploration. Not sure what recipe I’m going for here so one more part…adventure. So what happens when the weather doesn’t cooperate and you’re stuck inside your camper for days or if you’re just stuck period? Being able to get out and take a walk, visit some touristy places you’ve never been, hike a trail, or just sit and enjoy the sounds of nature is the best part of being a full-time RVer. We can go or stay anywhere we choose. The perfect life, right?
So, I was surprised when someone asked me the other day if I ever got bored. Seriously? With all this freedom to do as I want? My first response was no way. How could that ever happen in this lifestyle? I’m a traveler, a gypsy, an adventurer. I’m the Indiana Jones of motorhome living, the Bear Grylls of the RV campground. I had to dig deep to get to past my own canned, frequently parroted response of what I think I should portray as a life of non-stop excitement. There I found the honest, and frankly surprising answer. Yes. Yes I do get bored.
Being a FT traveler sounds like an exciting life, doesn’t it? Always on the go, experiencing new places and seeing new things. The thing is, it doesn’t always work out that way. We get to a new area and usually see what there is to see in a few days or so. If we happen to be staying in that area for two weeks, then what? There are only so many new places to explore, only so many trails to hike, or national wonders to experience.
We have a television and wifi and can do the normal things one would do in the sticks and bricks stationary world. We can surf social media, go down an internet rabbit hole, binge watch a show, hit Walmart (if we’re near one), read a book, catch a movie, or put a ton of stuff I won’t ever buy in my Amazon cart. The mundane things we all do when we’re bored. The thing is that I feel incredibly guilty doing any of those things. I sit here on my RV couch and feel terrible that I’m not out on some trail or scaling the nearest peak to commune with the world at a higher altitude. Sometimes I’m just unmotivated to do so. Is that a bad thing? If not why do I feel like it is…like I’m ungrateful to be where I am doing what I’m doing.
If the weather is bad, I feel somehow less guilty and can rationalize my lack of motivation and pajama wardrobe. I could brave the storms or wind and go wander anyway. The real campers I referenced in my last post would do just that. I’m just not that hardcore. Honestly, it’s sad to say, but sometimes I just get into a funk. How could that even happen with all this freedom, opportunity, and beauty around me? Can’t answer that…it just does.
There are still times when the walls close in on me (even if they only have to take two steps in to touch each other). Perhaps that’s what most NRVs (non-RVers) don’t realize. The confined space with no outlet can make that worse when the great outdoors isn’t so great. I mean we all get bored with life, don’t we? Why would RVers be any different? We can’t explore or go on an adventure all day every day, according to my very convincing (and rationalizing) inner voice.
A lot of RVers have small scale hobbies. Many do jigsaw puzzles or paint by number or crochet or knit. This passes the time when the adventures are few and far between or the storm clouds roll in. I’m an avid reader and wannabe blogger. Yet I still feel guilty not being “out there”. I guess I’m probably not the only one that feels that way.
We tried to go to the rodeo tonight. Something we’ve never done and wanted
to experience, since we happen to be right smack in the middle of rodeo country. We got rained out so here I am. Feeling guilty about not doing something else exciting. So yes, I get bored. But instead of beating myself up about it, I’m going to live vicariously through Keanu Reeves tonight. Maybe my boredom is just a glitch in the Matrix.
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