Originally Posted by
riverdrifter
Thanks everyone, for all the input so far!
Seeing all the comments, I feel I should add some info.
We would definitely have a bail-out plan for whenever we decide we are done, or in case someone gets sick, etc. We have a solid community of family and friends that are understanding of our desires and have offered temporary, back-up housing for us all. Also it wouldn't be an issue to stop anytime and rent someplace. We also have a place to park an RV indefinitely, if we decide to go that route. Any way we do it, it would be well planned.
We have 3 kids, home-schooled with individual curriculum created by my wife and I. Our oldest just started University. We spent all day yesterday moving her onto campus and taking her shopping to set up her new dorm room. It was a bittersweet day.
The 2 younger kids spent their home-school day with the substitute teacher, my mom
. There is for sure, no shortage of educational opportunities, nourishing, enriching, affection, and love.
The first few years of our oldest child's life was spent traveling and adventuring. We decided to try the "buy a house, put down roots" thing, and we see pros and cons both ways. I'm not sure which is better. We are still looking at options.
It sounds like you have a good plan and well thought out infrastructure. That's awesome.
I agree with and also feel the
not knowing which is better sentiment.
In the end we make our decisions and go with them. I work in extended care and talk to people at the end of life's journey all the time. Oddly (in Canada at least with universal health care) having wealth or status or possessions doesn't seem to matter so much as we all tend to wind up in the same place and the same condition. What I see in people who are happy is a sense of having done a good job with their lives, having had a purpose, and not regretting their decisions. Part of that is achieving our own intrinsic goals and part is being connected to others. One main thing I see is people who have worked hard at making good connections with others (kids, family, friends) have those people come into visit and that is very telling. Others may have achieved success but if they are alone it doesn't really matter.
I can honestly say that I am currently experiencing and working through some downside feelings with some of my decisions in the past. In my youth and most of my adult life I have sought the route of seeking unique experiences and outdoor adventure rather than stability and have done a lot of different labour jobs without building savings or a career to yeild high returns. At 55 I still do a lot of outdoor pursuits (my passion) but many of the people I now roll with have far more disposable income than I do and I sometimes feel limited by that. Frankly, what I did not anticipate was living so darned long! These days my friends do a lot more international travel and easily buy expensive gear (some of my pursuits are gear intensive) that I have to wait and save for. At the same time I compensate by having a deeper base of experience and concentration/commitment that garners some respect as a skilled but locally based member of those tribes.
I don't regret my decisions but each pathway has its pros and cons that we have to work through and make peace with. Travel without building a foundation provides experiences but may put one behind peers down the road. Saving and forgoing travel may provide later means but circumstance may change the ability to use those means for travel. Either an illness like dementia or cancer may change the anticipated plan or, if you wire your mind for may years to need security it may become too hard to let go when the time comes.
The other downside I sometimes felt when more free but rootless was the shallowness of relationships that were often in the moment and transitory. I thought quite a bit about how the mantle of "traveler"can be addictive in the sense that one is always a guest in a foreign place and thus treated as someone special or unique. Back home we are just boring old us.
And sometimes the downside of a decision opens an opportunity for growth if we are flexible. In the last 10 years, while feeling the financial limitations for travel I would say I have never been as connected to community as I am now which is very rewarding in its own way. A lot of that has to do with the influence of my wife, who values personal connections and has been a moderating force in my life. What I do a lot now is share my experiences with others in ways to either entertain, encourage or draw out their achievements. A lot of old people have a lot of amazing stories and just need someone to be interested enough to listen to them.
Anyways, Blathering on instead of getting ready for a hike with my dog. It sounds like you have a good balance worked out and a sensible plan so I say follow your passion - you only live once.