We are three months in to full-time RVing.  I admit my vision of how this full-time RVing thing would go was tainted by the idea of what life looked like for me while living in my sticks and bricks house minus the career plus more time for walks, writing and cooking.  Let me tell you that it’s a little bit like my vision with more time for walks, but it’s much harder than I expected.  Don’t read that last line and think that I’m having regrets.  That’s not the case at all.  It’s just that there are things about living this lifestyle that I wasn’t expecting and that make life slightly more challenging.  Specifically:

1. Grocery Shopping.  Ask most people about grocery shopping and they will tell you that they go to the same store(s) every week.  They generally know the layout of this store and can tell you that the soft drinks are in the same aisle as the crackers and cookies, the milk is at the very end of the dairy run, spices are located across from soups in aisle 5, kosher salt is on the bottom shelf, etc.  I never anticipated how much longer grocery shopping would take me as it’s at least one new store in every town we visit and often more since learning which stores are good for what is also a learning curve.
2. Cleaning.  500 square feet couldn’t take that long to clean, right?  It’s true, but the three of us (myself, Brian & Skipper) aren’t producing any less dirt.  In fact, I’d venture to say that we produce more dirt daily because of unpaved roads, tracking sand/mud in the rig from walking shoes, additional cloths worn for hiking/walking.  (more dirt) + (≥500 square feet) = more frequent cleaning required. P.S.  we had a bi-weekly housekeeper for the past 10 years that I’m really missing these days.
3. Laundry.  I’m unsure if laundry takes more or less time for me these days.  While we bought an RV that came with a washer and dryer, the washer hasn’t worked since the first load I did back in early May.  So, I’ve been going to the laundromat.  There is something very satisfying about spending two hours out to come home with 4 loads of freshly laundered and folded clothes.  The only issue is the inconvenience of packing it all up, schlepping it out the door, into the car, into the laundromat and then back to the rig.  Never mind the extra weight added to my purse.  in quarters!  One of these days, we will get the washer fixed.  I’m sure then I’ll miss having laundry done so quickly.  😊
4. Other errands.  Every “quick trip” to the drug store, grocery store, dog park, etc. requires Google maps, Google reviews, Google this, Google that, Google, Google, Google.  For safety and maintenance alone, I am spending a few hours gathering emergency contact numbers for hospitals, police, fire, 24-hour veterinary service, dog groomers, locations for my own immunotherapy injections for allergies.  I can only imagine how tough this life was for those who embraced full-time RV living in the days before Google.    
5. Technology. Not only am I not retired, I am working in a field that is completely new to me.  Ask longtime friends of mine and they will tell you that I have been fearful of technology in my past (digital cameras, new phones, moving from a Franklin Day Planner to a Palm Pilot).  Over the years, I have become less scared and more interested in learning to use tech to make things better, but I really haven’t advanced my tech skills beyond my laptop, cell phone, tablet or Kindle.  Being married to an IT guy, I’m made aware of all kinds of technology and am often told about apps that will do things for me.  I truly appreciate that Brian is confident in my ability to use these things.  I consider myself intelligent and open to new things.  This is a huge learning curve for me!!! One that is requiring me to be more patient with myself than I’ve been for a long time.  This is a good lesson for me but is also very challenging.  Things aren’t going as fast as I’d like them to and I am realizing how much I really need to learn in order to do this successfully. 

As I write this, it has me thinking about the life we’ve chosen to live.  Perhaps all these things are a reminder about the metaphor we propose to live by.  You know, the one where the journey is as important as the destination.  When people went sailing with us and wanted to know when we would get to our day’s destination, we would tell them, “You’re already there.”  Words to live by, if I do say so myself.