The solutions offered by full-time RV'ing

If you don't watch The Jimmy Dore Show, you may not have seen Christopher Ryan's interview about his new book "Civilized to Death."  But it is absolutely worth watching.  I am going to read the book.

One of the most fascinating statements he made was in response to a question about what choices he makes in response to his critique of our current way of life.  He stated he has chosen to live with "one foot in and one foot out" of the current system -  he lives in a van for half of the year!  As I just mentioned in my last post we have been full-time for almost 2.5 years. Watching Dr. Ryan helped me really clarify the solutions I have realized through full-time RV living. 

The premise of the book is anthropological.  For the vast majority of our ancestors time on Earth we lived as hunter/gatherers in groups of less than 150, each working between 10-20 hours a week doing "work" that is generally considered to describe activities we do today while on vacation (fishing, hunting, harvesting food from plants, handcrafts, woodworking, cooking, being around families).  In the modern era we have become slaves to our systems, objects, and stuff - our time is spent working to earn money to pay for and maintain our homes and other belongings.  As we gain "success" we often feel trapped by our lives and rates of depression are high.  Our cities are nothing more than zoos for humans forced to remain in one place.  Some zoos are better in that they mimic our natural habitat better than others. 

Selling our house and rentals was liberating in such a fundamental way - not only being able to live free of debt and having savings, but also living without the constant pressure and concerns about the "what if" worries (What if one of us lost a job? How long could we make payments on the house with an interruption in salary? What if we had a major unplanned expense related to one of our rentals?) These concerns weigh on the mind and use up valuable mental bandwidth that could be spent on solving problems and appreciating what one has today.  Indeed, I spend much more of my time being thankful for what I have, that all of our needs are met, that we are all healthy and that we have each other.  Certainly my mental health has improved since moving to the margins of society.

Redwood National Park, CA

Being able to explore the National Parks has connected us to the extraordinary majesty and beauty of what this Earth has to offer us as well as showing us how the traditional ancient peoples thrived in harmony with the natural resources.  Dr. Ryan points out that generations after generations lived in hunter/gatherer communities and the problems faced by one generation were not all that different from the next generation's problems.  Today my children navigate a digital world that is foreign to me and I am only 43!  We face uncertainty each day because so much is new - but when you are in the woods, walking the path, sitting by a fire, putting your feet in the stream, looking at the stars, examining the trees, watching the wildlife, and practicing being present in the moment - this is where we are most alive and when we are connected to those that came before.  We experience our connection to nature and to each other when we have the freedom to spend enough time outdoors in wild spaces. 

The question we need to all ask ourselves is "how much is enough?" What do you need to live a fulfilling life? How much does your ideal life cost?  When I really examined that question I realized I am pragmatic and not attached to any particular material standard.  I am attached to the idea of owning my own dwelling (not renting) and spending as little as possible on shelter.  I also realized that I want to experience the here and now with Husband and the kids as much as possible.  With insatiable wants comes shortage in funds.  I like to remember what Nietzche says,  "He who possesseth little is so much the less possessed. Blessed be moderate poverty." I don't find myself in a perpetual state of want.  I am content with what I have - in fact, I still think I have too much!  Full-time RV'ing forces you to constantly evaluate your material accumulation and to manage it. 

Jewel Cave National Monument, SD

Given the constant uncertainty of the future, especially in relation to climate change, I like being mobile in case there is a need to follow decent weather.  Perhaps it seems strange to say that, but I personally know one family who was displaced due to a hurricane.  Through the news I am aware of many climate migrants fleeing flooding, drought, hurricanes, and other extreme weather events across the globe.  Arizona summers are hotter each year and while there are cooler areas in the mountains, those stuck in the valley are reliant on air conditioners in order to survive the blistering heat.  With changes in weather comes changes in the range of various animals, insects and pathogens.  Let's face it, just like our hunter/gatherer ancestors we all know there are better places to be depending on the time of year.  Living in an RV allows a family to migrate, like our ancient ancestors, in search of climates that are more favorable throughout the year. 

Speaking of climate - I am ever more hopeful that one day we will be able to pull a rig with a fully electric vehicle.  This week Tesla released the Cybertruck and Ford has plans for a fully electric F150 in 2021.  Solar systems are making off-grid living increasingly comfortable.  All we need is a zero emission vehicle that can tow the rig around!  Until then we have sized our rig so as to get as many miles per gallon as possible pulling a very lightweight trailer.  With four of us living in a small space, using public transit in the city, and trying to remain (as much as possible) in climates that do not require heating/cooling we try to minimize our fossil fuel use throughout the year. 

Finally, and most importantly - we have the opportunity to raise our kids differently and thereby teach new lessons to the next generation.  While we are making it up as we go along - not having patterns from our ancestors to follow - we build our decisions on the firm ground of critique.  We have many examples of what does not work and we can trust ourselves in leading the kids towards those things that connect us to the world and each other.  Together we have explored great depths and great heights and we've grown together in our journey. 

Crystal Cave, Sequoia National Park, CA

Full-time RV'ers for nearly 2.5 years

Since Husband and I have been together we have lived in 10 different homes.  That is an average of approx 2.5 years in each - of course we were in some places for a very short time and the longest 8 years.  Nevertheless we've moved a lot.  We've lived in 7 different cities and two states.  We moved for jobs, for opportunities, for adventure and for dreams.  We've moved for practical reasons and because of what we imagined was possible.  Nearly 2.5 years ago we moved from a 4000 square foot house into a 200 square foot RV.  It was much to small for our family, but because we were committed to making some significant changes to our way of life and wanted to test out RV living. 

Our first house on wheels

Living area in the Hideout

We lived in our tiny, 200 square foot Hideout for a year and a half (Inside it was ~ 26' long by 8' wide).  We traveled over 6,000 miles with it.  In January of this year we bought a new truck and RV to substantially upsize our living space (to 315 square feet).  The rig is longer, (just over 30') but it has two deep slides so we have an open area inside.  

Extra width in our new place

Living area in the Mesa Ridge

Living in an RV has a number of advantages - most significantly we are debt-free and have been saving a significant portion of our income for 2.5 years.  Secondly, moving is a breeze - We've been in situations when we needed to move for a job, but were unable to sell our house for what we paid.  Like many Americans we have experienced being house poor.  We have experience as landlords...forced into renting out a property because we couldn't sell.  I am very content that I don't have the burden of home ownership weighing on me.   I am also nervous about the housing market in 2020 and beyond - economists say the housing market has recovered from the 2008-09 financial crisis but there are reasons to think another large recession is coming soon.  It seems working Americans can't get a break - we put all of our money into our homes only to have our homes fall in value as a result of the irresponsible actions of those motivated by greed in the financial sector.  So, yeah, I am glad that I am not currently invested in a house.  Third, we've been able to hit the road for two summers in a row to tour our National Parks and appreciate the beauty of this country.  Our RV provides the comforts of home even off grid due to a solar system.  Fourth, our whole interaction with the material world has been transformed - we cannot accumulate stuff like we used to.  We have donated and sold a huge majority of our possessions.  We are deliberate in our purchases and our things are practical.  Lastly, though the space is easily cluttered, it is also easily cleaned!

Living in an RV has a few disadvantages as well.  The biggest one I see in our future is that Brother and Sister will not want to share a tiny bunkhouse for too much longer.  Brother has the larger (wider) bed above the cabinets and Sister has the longer (narrow) bed above the table.  They each have one drawer, the space under one of the benches as well as a closet.  Their possessions (other than stuffed animals which compete for bed space) fit in those spaces.  As they grow, as their clothes get larger, this space will seemingly shrink.

Having friends over is challenging - it's not that we can't  entertain, it's just not a very comfortable set up and we have to spend a good amount of tine outdoors as there are not enough seats inside.  We've been invited more than we have invited and I dislike my failure to reciprocate.  Lastly, and this is a big one....I miss my desk!  I would love to have a home office....sitting here in my massage chair is awesome, but having two monitors and a desk would be amazing.  Along those lines - we still have the problem of not being able to adequately spread out for school/work.  We thought having the bunkhouse would help, but we still do school and work at the kitchen table.  Perhaps if we had a house we would still do school at the kitchen table...that is where homework used to take place when we had a house and Brother went to school...

Yes, massage chairs!!!

There is a stigma that comes with this lifestyle choice because being frugal is not appreciated in this society.  Most people are all wrapped up in identities associated with their consumption and purchases.  Homes and cars make people feel successful (or not).  If your identity is associated with  home ownership and the type of car you drive you probably won't have many positive words for a family that lives in a travel trailer.  Additionally, for a family in AZ, it is really hard to find a decent RV community since so many cater to the 55+ community.  There are also more and more people/families pursuing the full-time parked life due to the low cost, so it is hard to find long-term lots.  We've rented monthly lots in four parks and each has pros and cons (some parks only have cons).  Good parks require criminal background checks and do some sort of screening prior to letting you move in.  In bad parks your used tennis shoes may be stolen from your steps (yes, that happened to me).

Despite the cons, it has been a great adventure and it's fun to reflect upon as we approach our 2.5 year anniversary.  After the holidays my parents will snowbird (in their RV) to AZ from MI and we will enjoy having them around....then we will be planning summer 2020!

Homeschooling adventure

It's been a while since I have reflected upon our homeschooling adventure.  To summarize the profound influence education has on our life let me recap where we all stand.  I am a full-time lecturer at Arizona State University (I graduated with my doctorate in 2017).  Husband is pursuing a second bachelors degree (one he started many years ago) in software engineering.  Brother is in fifth grade and Sister started Kindergarten this year.  Husband and I are lifelong learners - I can't imagine feeling like I have nothing else to learn.  We are trying to promote that way of thinking with the kids and we have made choices (such as being full-time RV'ers) that have allowed us to structure our lives so that we are more available to our kids. 

Clearly there is a most important member of this RV family (we only have one cat, but he is the most drawn animal ever!)

We've been through a number of iterations of homeschooling but we have a rather happy equilibrium right now thanks to the local (Mesa) public school system which offers a homeschool enrichment program that Brother started halfway through last year.  Sister goes one day a week and they offer some traditional activities around learning to read as well as PE, computers, music, and art.  Brother goes two days a week.  On Mondays he gets to choose his classes and has enjoyed all of his classes including notable ones such as Lego robotics, sewing, PE, science, and handbells.  The Monday classes are a mix of grade levels from 5-8th.  Wednesday he is with a cohort of 5th graders and they stay together and move between classes.  The rest of the week the kids are home with one or both of us.  Husband and I go into work on opposite days and are usually both home on Fridays.  Husband is home on TTH when both kids are here and I am gone.  He has done a stellar job of moving them through a new curriculum IXL This curriculum is aligned with AZ state standards.  Thanks to the enrichment program Brother took the AZ standardized test for 4th graders at the end of last year.  It was a good feeling to receive his high marks and know that we have been "on grade" with our efforts. We like IXL for the flexibility and seeming unending practice questions, but we noticed that it is weak on literature for Brother.  Last year we used Moving Beyond the Page and really liked the literature lesson.  We decided to purchased a single literature unit to incorporate into Brother's curriculum in order to round it out.  I think mixing and matching is the way to go. 

Sister turned 5 over the summer.  We were working on pre-school activities with her last year and she was very frustrated with reading.  However, since she started Kindergarten she has really grown into her role as a student.  She is trying, succeeding, and taking it very seriously.  We are really proud of both of them.

The kids are each unique and at very different places in their education.  It is nice to be an active part of their educational journey and to be a part of their successes (and failures).  I have so much respect for teachers, but I also realize that kids learn more than reading, writing and arithmetic from often dysfunctional school environments.  I recently heard a story from a friend about how their daughter was facing bullying and a whole lot of drama at school.  The nice thing about sending the kids one or two days a week is that they can make a few friends and participate in activities we would not do at home, but they are not institutionalized.  We have our own negative experiences with the institutions - most people do.  It is extraordinary when kids are not treated like a number or member of a herd.   It is interesting to be part of the homeschool community- the kids are not used to sitting in classrooms.  The enrichment program teachers joke with the kids that there is a "blurting" problem in the school since at home the kids don't have to raise their hands!

It is all sunshine, kittens and flowers?  No, certainly not.  As parents we are harsh and unlike teachers in that we do not censor our disappointment or tone very well.  As kids the students give us a hard time when they aren't in the mood or they don't like certain lessons.  Sometimes they cry or whine and try to get out of it when they would never dream of acting that way in a classroom.  We try to avoid the inevitable power struggles, but we fall into them despite our efforts.  We end up spending a lot of time talking about what we could all do better and/or differently.  Some evenings are entirely devoted to getting past the drama of the day.  In doing so we grow together as a family.  Our Mesa Ridge is a much larger rig than the Hideout and we are thankful for the extra bunkhouse room, but we have not used the space as we thought we would.  School seems to still take place at the kitchen table and recreation/toys/games (mess) dominates the kids' room.  On the days Husband or I work from home we have meetings and obligations that punctuate lessons and our work - it can become hectic depending on how much guidance the kids need.  Sister pretty much needs us to sit with her throughout the lessons, but often times Brother is independent only requiring brief guidance and/or answers to questions.  I often put off my work/grading/course building until the evening (when college students do their work), but Husband cannot so he has to find a balance when everyone needs to work at the same time. 

There is a larger conversation that can be had about our willingness as a society to allow institutions to raise our kids.  When we were living the "traditional" life we had to rely on before/after school programs and LONG days of day care in order to make it work.  It was depressing to leave the kids each day and it was frustrating to be home for such a short time together in the evening doing homework, making a rushed dinner and then ensuring everyone is clean and in bed to be ready for the next marathon day.  I am so thankful that we have such flexible schedules and are able to be with our kids.  Brother will turn 10 next month and I am reminded that I have more time parenting him behind me than I have in front of me.  These moments are precious and I want to hold them near to me now because one day they will fly from this tiny nest to their next adventure.