Circles and Circles and the ANSWER to the No 1 Question Everyone Asks!

As BB and I prepare for a major change in our lives (selling one home, moving out of our rental home, dispossessing ourselves of a significant amount of the "things" we have accumulated over the years, and moving into an RV on a full-time basis), the concept of circles keeps occurring to me.

Our lives generally end up as a collection of circles within which we feel comfortable.  We have our circle of family, a circle of friends, a circle which includes our neighborhood and our church.  For those of you who still work, you have your professional and work circle as well.

We all feel that life can get hectic, and it certainly can, at times, especially when you have the pressures of children, work, and careers to balance.

And, like a venn diagram, our circles become complex and even more hectic when circle overlap, interconnect, and sometimes conflict.

But regardless of the number of circles in our lives, when you stop and look at it, especially from a really, really distant vantage point, our circles are pretty small in actuality, and even limiting to an extent.

I am reminded of that classic beginning to many science fiction films, which opens with a totally black and silent screen.  Soon, a small pin of light appears, then the pin of light resolves into a disc, and the disc resolves into a beautiful blue marble and you realize that you are falling through space toward Earth.  As you continue to fall, continents and oceans appear, then mountains ranges and the thread of individual rivers, then the outlines of cities, then individual blocks, then houses, then finally you land safely yet miraculously on that 1/8 acre of ground that is "home."  Home; comfortable, acceptable, familiar, and incredibly small and limited.

Yet after that exciting and dizzying fall, home seems incredibly small and you're not sure if the fence you placed is keeping someone or something out, or keeping you inside.

That's cool; there is certainly nothing wrong with that.  However, BB and I have developed a case of the "hitch itch" and a need to expand the circles of our life.  (Oddly, the Jerry Lee Lewis song "Middle Aged Crazy" keeps running through my mind as well.)  I guess I'm middle aged if I expect to live to 140; the crazy part is still up for discussion.

BB and I are looking forward to traveling this country and creating a whole new set of circles.  If the circle we're in doesn't quite fit on any particular day, then we'll go somewhere else and try on another circle of experiences, views, new friends, etc.  We hope to volunteer and workkamp as well.  Who knows what will happen?  As Robert Louis Stevenson said ..."to travel expectantly is better than to arrive."

Henri says "forget about this Steve guy ... lets just GO!

It may be a disaster, it may be a grand adventure, but regardless, the circles will be larger.  We'll keep you updated through our blog.

And of course, the Number 1 Question that EVERYONE asks when we tell them of our RV plans is "where are you going to go first?"

Fair question, and one I would ask as well.  So... In the immortal words of Captain James T Kirk ...

"Out there.  Thataway.  Engage."

Perhaps we'll see you out there on the road.