Tuesday - Day 16 - Dreams Fulfilled

On more than one occasion I have had to help a friend or family member understand, 'why in the world would we choose to live in a campground if we didn't have to out of financial necessity?' Of course they don't quite ask me the question directly, but that is usually the root of the question being asked.

"Why don't you buy a house? Or rent? Or When will you settled down? Or how long do you plan live like that?" As if it's a hardship.

It's most interesting to me because many people can't fathom not having a traditional home environment. For me it is very much the opposite. I lived my entire childhood and young adult life in one house. I did travel, but I always came back to one home. Once I moved out of my parent's home permanently, I discovered I haven't been able to settled down anywhere longer than three years. My husband says, "We are restless souls". But I think there is more to it.

I am the type of person who looks at an entire menu before ordering at a restaurant. It's not that I don't know what I want, I just prefer to order the item I most want on the menu. It really is that simple. It also explains why I waited so long to finally "settle down" to get married. Just wanted to find the man I most loved.

I also think that is how I feel about finding a place to live. Living in one beautiful place may be great, and I'll love it for the time being, but what if there's a place I would love even more? I haven't explored all my options yet.

I would love to live abroad eventually and travel from country to country. I would love to travel our own country and venture down to Central and South America. I want my husband and I to learn how to sail so we can explore one Caribbean Island after another.

I have lofty dreams, but I am a believer that dreaming big is the only way to dream. And when one dream is fulfilled I can move on to the next. I also believe there are those dreams that sneak up on us, the ones we didn't know we wanted. I recognize and embrace those into my life as well. Those are my favorite dreams come true.

Living in our camper is probably a version of my dream for financial freedom and to not be tied down to a house or mortgage. The other part is having the freedom to travel more often and have more time to do the things I love instead of cleaning and maintaining a home. Candidly I must admit, sometimes I do worry if we buy another house, I will get antsy to try something different and be unsettled foreseeing something new on the horizon.

Yes, renting is always an option, but having someplace to call home that you also own, like a camper, seems like a better alternative, at least for now.

My most recent dream fulfilled was to live close to my three step-children again, I didn't know when or how it would come true, but here I am, one more dream fulfilled.


The photo below is an example of a dream that snuck up on me. Meeting Sean Lowe, The Bachelor, while living in Irving, TX.