Community
When Jim and I started talking about traveling and considering long-term stays, we were both a little worried about my need for social activity and his need for quiet time. I am fortunate enough to have a very close circle of friends and a wider net of acquaintances. Over the years, some people have drifted in and out of my life, but overall, my circle has gotten bigger and bigger. There are just so many amazing, fun, cool people to spend time with! Back when we lived in Colorado, everyday was full of social interactions and activities. Moving to Florida and traveling definitely cut down on the number of in-person social interactions—thank goodness for my Florida book club gals, my running buddy Megan, and my lunching friend Lindsay! They have kept me entertained and given Jim a break here and there, haha!
The last time I was in Colorado, I had the opportunity to catch up with two of my good friends—one still working away and the other recently retired and traveling full-time (ish) in her RV. The recently retired one is about as extroverted as I am and it led us to the discussion of community and the importance of the feeling of community. I held up my phone and said, “This is my community. My community lives right here in my phone.” Although the three of us hadn’t physically sat across from each other eating delicious seasonal food at Blackbelly for over a year, it felt as if it was just yesterday. Somewhat because there are just some people in your life that you will ALWAYS be able to just pick up where you left off, and somewhat because we have a group text that we actively use to send random pictures, memes, articles, and just updates on life.
The idea of having to physically be present to have a community is a thing of the past—at least for me!
Texting is my main form of communication with my friends. Even before we moved away from Colorado, I kept in touch with cousins, old colleagues, and past friends through texts (and of course, say what you will about facebook, I love that it has allowed me to passively keep in touch with so many people that have touched my life).
I don’t have many people I talk on the phone with. I can count on one hand the number of people I’ve talked to on the phone with in the last week. I enjoy face to face interaction so much more and with the technology that exists today, that really isn’t a problem. I have Google Fi as my cell phone provider. This makes staying in touch across the miles easy. I don’t worry about “international plans” or the cost of a phone call to or from the US while I’m traveling. And through Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger, and Duo, I can videochat with friends and family. Even while in the states, I’ve taken to videochatting with my mom instead of calling her. I love being able to see her as we chat.
My friend Lisa and I started a tradition of decorating our sugar cookies together a few years back and have carried that tradition over onto videochat - we have now decorated cookies over video in North Carolina and Vienna! Other than the fact that it was 6 at night for me and 10 in the morning for her, it felt like we were in the same room giggling and seeing who would make the silliest cookie.
Technology has also made connecting with people and meeting new friends in all the places we go easier. There are groups like Girls Gone International and websites like Meetup that give me the chance to join a bookclub for a discussion, grab coffee with another gal, or go on an adventure with another temporary resident. I can feed my need for social interaction and community and meet really cool people everywhere I go (and give Jim a rest from my constant need to go, go, go!).
I do miss adventuring with my circle of friends but staying connected over the miles has given me an appreciation of the time we do spend together: like being in Colorado for a few weeks of birthday MONTH, getting to be here when one of my most favorite people had her baby girl (and meet said baby girl before she was even 2 days old!), celebrating Sarah’s 40th with her, seeing not one, not two, but THREE nuggets games, and getting to see Kate in a fashion show.
BTW- some have asked about mail and where they can send things…just message me- we have a mail service and I can pass along that address, or depending on what it is and when you are sending it, I can give you the address of where we are staying or a local mailbox where we can pick up mail.
Click on the pictures below for a larger image and some random words about the picture/person.
