Vacation vs. Life

Artur and I have discussed our new lifestyle with pretty much everyone in our lives. Our immediate family, our friends, our coworkers. As expected, the reactions have been mixed - some people are excited for us, while others either imply that we are making a mistake, or will be back "home" after our assignment. Maybe that latter reaction is our fault. I believe our description of the upcoming "adventure" gets mistaken by some as more of a vacation that a new choice of life.

I won't lie - neither of us knows what the future will bring, but that is the beauty of this adventure. Do I believe that we will be back in Illinois in November after this assignment - no way! Maybe we will be in Louisiana, maybe in Florida, or maybe we will make it across the country to Arizona. Will our job assignment be the same as this one - Christi running the campground store and registering visitors while Artur manages the necessary maintenance? I don't know. Maybe I will direct the resort activities while Artur sells RV spaces. Maybe Artur will be a bartender and I will be a waitress. Maybe we will take a month and help Habitat for Humanity build a house. Who knows? But we both believe that there will always be opportunities that we will happily accept in order to continiue this lifestyle.

Besides working, all of the other life components will still exist. This is our new life, not a two-week sidetrack that will eventually lead back to reality. We still have our bills that we need to pay. We will need to be conscious and considerate of, as well as involved with our families - I expect wedding invitations, college graduations, funerals, and other events that we will need to be a part of. Artur and I will still need to schedule doctor and dentist visits. We are actively investing and plan to continue to do so. And, we are young and still consider a family a possibility for our future.

For the naysayers, there is nothing we can do to convince them that our decision is a sound and solid one. Nor that it is one for the long-term. All we can do is move forward, be responsible, and make the choices that lead to a happy and meaningful life for us. If, in the end, people still think of our time as a "vacation", I guess that's no harm to us.....