How
Do They Live Like That?
by Alice Zyetz
Most RV books and magazine articles address
the how-to issues: how to get your mail, how to select an
RV, how to find places to park, how to fix any physical system
that will fail, and, of course, where to travel next. After
ten years of traveling, I have learned from my experiences
and others' that the hardest "system" to fix is
the human one. For many people who have lived long and fruitful
lives together in a house with a number of rooms and a life
with a number of separate activities, being thrust together
in one box twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, many
months in a row can be a shock. Some books do address these
issues, but very briefly.
In How Do They Live Like That? Answers
for Those Who Wonder, former family counselors Judy
Farrow and Lou Stoetzer have created a unique book describing
the human interactions inside the tin boxes we inhabit. Dr.
Ludy, as they refer to themselves, apply their years of professional
knowledge, their own nine years' experience on the road, and
their eighteen-month research project with RVers. The result
is a book full of insight and suggestions to help RVers deal
with each other, their families and friends left behind, and
other life issues, including their health, aging on the road,
and finally hanging up the keys.
What especially appeals to me is that
the authors describe all issues in detail and then offer tools
to resolve those issues. For the couple who must adapt to
the smaller space, Dr. Ludy recommends the "RV Two Step,"
a dance where partners inhale, slide, and dip as they pass
each other in close spaces. This is part of Road Tool #2-Make
Room for You. They recommend finding private space, even using
the bathroom as a place to read the morning newspaper, for
example. In our own experience, we found that just putting
down the awning created a private space for my husband as
he sat outside while I drank my coffee inside getting my news
fix from CNN.
Because many RVers retire earlier, they
not only leave behind their adult children and their grandchildren,
they also must deal with their aging parents. Some of Dr.
Ludy's suggestions when you are called to respond to a crisis:
- Determine how serious the "crisis"
is
- Enlist a trusted relative, neighbor, professional
to give you accurate feedback
- If you go back, try to stay in a campground
or a bed and breakfast to keep a little time for yourself.
Another concern for RVers is how they
will handle health problems on the road. Again Dr. Ludy give
excellent recommendations. Their book reflects the common
sense approach to life on the road that I have seen in people
who are successful RVers, people who are nourished (and nourishing
to all those they meet) every day by their choice in lifestyle.
They see obstacles as situations they will find solutions
for. And they do!
I highly recommend this book to all those
who currently live on the road as well as those who are contemplating
entering this rich lifestyle. It's a good idea to buy several
copies to give to your children, parents, and dear friends
who ask, "How DO you live like that?"
Alice
Zyetz
6/13/04
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"RVing with Alice & Jaimie"
|
Alice
Zyetz and Jaimie Hall have
been RVing fulltime with their husbands
for more than ten years each. Together
they have published two books on the
RV Lifestyle: