Last night I dreamed I was at some kind of weeks-long outdoor retreat/workshop/conference/adventure with several dozen people. Among the instructions: we will be moving camp every day or two. When the first order to move came, some people started complaining that they had just gotten settled in. I said to the person next to me, “So, the settlers among us are revealing themselves.”
This dream is about me, of course. I’m in this game to travel, to move, to do it easily, with as few complications as I can. For me, “setting up camp” means parking and putting out the step. Maybe a chair if I’m going to be staying a while, and if the weather is good.
I think I understand those who put out rugs and tables and awnings and loungers and grills and lights and flags and tiki torches and hummingbird feeders and… It’s what they like. It makes them happy. It’s just not me.
I have almost no need anymore to feel “settled in.” Not to get too philosophical here, but maybe it’s because these days I feel more settled within myself. Wherever I go, there I am, and I’m home. Maybe? Anyway, it’s working for me.
I really understand your commentary. This not so big in reality trailer has for the last two years been feeling like an albatross around my neck. My continual getting rid of unused stuff and redundancy things is part of the path to even more simplification. Very few people seem to understand simple living, especially my few relatives. Lately I am wondering if a pickup camper would be right for me. I enjoy your adventures a great deal. Thank you for writing this blog.
ReplyDeleteI once asked One El, who'd been a recipient of a Presidential Scholarship to St. Johns College in Annapolis, what she thought of the folks who put out gnomes, demarcated walkways, cactus gardens, etc. She replied: "They never really wanted to leave."
ReplyDeleteI distinguish between those who persist in their "ways" rather than enjoying the beauty of the natural world. A picnic table is a travesty!
Settled within yourself. Hmm. I need to think about that. I was under the impression that your need to move often was because you are not settled within yourself. Apparently, I'm wrong about that.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about camps with “lights and flags and tiki torches and hummingbird feeders”. If you ever see a camp with pink plastic yard flamingos say your prayers, because the apocalypse is nigh.
ReplyDelete